Three Square Meals Ch. 070

She'd worked hard to greatly vary the kata she was linking together, now that she was consciously aware of the flaw in her skills. Her improvisation and adaptation were excellent, and he knew it wouldn't be long until she'd be able to beat him. He started using more of his strength in their fights to help keep her on her toes, and the first time he'd slapped her sword out of her hand with a powerful backstroke, she'd frowned at him indignantly. His playful wink had her scampering to retrieve her dropped blade and then she was launching herself on the offensive once more.

There hadn't been any more flashbacks while they were duelling, and they'd come to the conclusion that with her growing sword mastery, her brain was no longer desperately seeking ways to harness her latent skills. At least, that was the case until the sixth day of their journey towards the Underworld...

***

John and Sakura rose early that morning, quietly climbing out of bed so that they wouldn't disturb the girls. The plan was to have a morning duel before they joined everyone for breakfast, and John gave Alyssa a farewell kiss when she began to stir, urging her to stay in bed and get some more sleep. She smiled at him gratefully, then cuddled up with Calara, before dropping off into a restful slumber.

The training session started innocuously enough, with them climbing into their training armour, then retrieving their white blades from the weapon racks. They squared off against each other on the mat, and after a nod from John to begin the bout, Sakura charged towards him just as he knew she would, whirling her blades with an elaborate flourish.

He had to move his Odachi in an intricate web to parry her rapid slashes, deflecting at least a dozen such deadly strikes, each one ringing with a clear note. Seeing a brief opening as she slightly overextended, he attempted a counter-attack, which she met with a reflexive block from her right blade. Now that he was using more of his supernatural strength, she typically deflected or dodged his attacks, rather than trying to compete with him in a competition she couldn't win. Taking advantage of her mistake, his muscles surged as he chopped down, overpowering her block with raw strength.

Her right-hand sword slashed down across her own left forearm, jarring her arm, and leaving her open for a finishing blow. She paused for a second, and her eyelids fluttered, in the tell-tale sign that she was reliving a memory. Sakura suddenly back-flipped away, moving so fast she seemed to blur as she retreated. He was too astonished by her burst of incredible speed to try and break her out of the trance, staring at her mouth agape.

When Sakura stopped, she appeared in sharp focus again, and he stared at her as she shifted stance to one he hadn't taught her. She leapt into action once more, sprinting towards him with her arms held outstretched in a radically different fighting style to Kenjutsu. This all seemed shockingly familiar to John, and it was deeply unsettling to realise that Sakura was reenacting Shinatobe's assassination attempt against him.

Her mono-bladed ninjato swept towards him in gracefully arcing strikes, but she was moving so fast, he had no way of blocking her assault. The short white blades caught him for several glancing blows across both of his arms, and he felt a huge sense of relief that he was fully armoured this time around. Sakura spun away before coming to a halt some distance from him, getting ready to switch back to Kenjutsu.

The real fight flashed through John's memory, and he had absolutely no intention of unleashing psychic lightning on Sakura, let alone headbutting her. Knowing that he had to break her out of the trance before the fight turned ugly, he raised his left hand, and acting on instinct, sent a surge of telekinetic energy towards her. The wave hit just as she started rushing towards him, and the force of the impact knocked her sprawling, her twin swords sent spinning across the mats.

She leaned up on her elbows, staring at him with wide eyes, blinking rapidly as she regained full control of her faculties once more. John strode over to Sakura, dropping his sword in his haste, as he knelt down beside her to check that she was unharmed.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" he asked her, as he checked her for injuries.

"I was moving so fast!" she exclaimed, stunned by the speed with which she'd been able to race across the mat. When she saw his look of concern, she smiled at him, and replied soothingly, "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me."

He sat down with a sigh of relief, pulling off his clear-crystal helmet as he did so, and wiping the sweat from his brow. She followed his cue and removed her own Paragon helmet, then moved to straddle his lap so that she was staring into his eyes from inches away. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly, her soft lips brushing against his, while she gazed at him reverently.

"What was that for?" he asked, holding her in his arms.

"To just say thank you, for everything you've done for me," she replied in a hushed voice. "The girls call being with you 'the Gift', and I truly see what they mean now. You've made me so much more than I was as Shinatobe, but it wasn't forced on me this time; I chose it!"

He gave her an embarrassed smile, and confessed, "I actually just intended to help you grow stronger and quicker than normal, to help you hold your own in melee combat. I think I might have overdone it a bit; I had no idea you'd be that fast!"

Her rich brown eyes gleamed as she replied, "I think you're far more powerful than you let yourself believe."

*Yeah, she's right!* Alyssa exclaimed. *That telekinetic wall was new! When did you learn how to do that?!*

*I've no idea, it just seemed like the safest way to end the fight,* he replied, somewhat bewildered himself.

Sakura climbed off his lap, and put on her helmet as she said eagerly, "Let's go again! I want to practice that some more!"

He chuckled at her unbridled enthusiasm and rose to his feet, then walked over to his dropped Odachi while she retrieved her scattered ninjato. He paused as he was about to don his helmet again, and replied, "What was that fighting style you used at the end there? I've never seen anything like it before. It looked more like dancing than a fighting style."

"Wushu sword form, adapted for twin dao," she replied confidently, as she picked up her second blade. She smiled at him playfully, and added, "When you've mastered Kenjutsu, young one, then we'll move on to other sword forms."

He blinked in surprise, then laughed uproariously, and said, "I suppose I asked for that, venerable Master."

"That's right, you should show more respect to your elders," she agreed sagely, brown eyes twinkling in her beautiful, youthful face.

When his laughter finally subsided, he looked at her curiously, and asked, "I thought you'd forgotten all of Shinatobe's fighting styles? You said you couldn't remember any kenjutsu kata when we started."

"It came flooding back to me as we fought," she replied, while walking over to the middle of the mats to face off against him again. She paused for a long moment, thinking at greater length about his question, before she continued, "That fight felt more real than anything we'd done before, and I suppose my mind reacted accordingly, thinking I was in danger."

He frowned as he said, "I'd never intentionally hurt you."

"I know," Sakura replied, her eyes full of emotion as she looked at him. "I just reacted by instinct."

"There seems to be a fair bit of that going around," John noted with a wry smile as he adopted a defensive stance.

She nodded, then her eyes sparkled as she said with unbridled enthusiasm, "Now, I want to learn how to move fast like that again!"

John lowered his blade, and said, "I think I might need to give you a brief course in Psychic Powers 101."

"Teach me, oh wise one," she replied, bowing respectfully, but with an impish grin on her face.

***

When everyone met for lunch in the Galley later that day, all the chatter was focused on Sakura's budding psychic potential. Everyone was seated in their usual positions, with Sakura sitting on John's lap, flanked by Alyssa to his right and Calara to his left. Dana and Rachel sat as a couple further down to the right, with Jade and Irillith opposite.

"I thought Sakura was just a normal Terran girl like the rest of us?" Calara asked, looking intrigued.

Alyssa smiled, and leaning over to stroke the Asian girl's rounded tummy, she said, "She was, until she gulped down gallons of John's cum, and encouraged him to give her the deluxe upgrade."

Rachel smiled at Sakura as she said, "When I checked your DNA earlier, I realised immediately. You now have triple-helix DNA, instead of just double. It's how Progenitors enable psychic potential."

Dana frowned, and asked, "So, what? Is Sakura a Progenitor now or something, like Alyssa?"

Her tawny-haired lover shook her head as she replied, "No, it doesn't work like that. Adding a third helix allows huge amounts of genetic information to be stored in a person's DNA, including the capabilities for psychic powers. It has to be filled with data to enable those abilities though, and while Alyssa's DNA is packed with genetic information, Sakura's DNA is more like Jade's, or Irillith's." She went quiet for a moment, before she added, "Or ours..."

This announcement was met with stunned silence, and while John, Alyssa, and Rachel were well-aware of this fact, the rest of the girls had no idea.

"So we're all alike now?" Jade asked, her cat-like eyes sparkling as she stared at Rachel, holding her breath with anticipation.

She smiled at the eager Nymph and replied, "After testing Sakura, I tested the rest of us Terran girls too. We all have triple-helix DNA now."

"Holy fuck!" Dana suddenly blurted out, staring at John in shock. "So I'll be able to shoot fireballs from my eyes, and shit like that?!"

Alyssa laughed, rolling her eyes, and said, "Come on Sparks, don't be daft."

"No, nothing like that," John replied, chuckling as he shook his head. He stopped abruptly and faltered as he added, "At least I don't -think- so..."

Calara looked awed as she said, "When the DNA reader in the Raptor stopped working, I knew something had happened... but giving me psychic abilities?!"

Dana leaned forward eagerly, and asked, "So if eye-fireballs are out, what can I do then?!"

"That's a very good question," Rachel agreed, an intrigued expression on her face as she turned to look at John.

All the girls looked his way now, waiting attentively for John to explain his plans to them.

He gave them a rueful smile, and said, "In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure. I asked Athena about it when I was thinking about helping enhance Sakura for combat, and she said it works subconsciously. She said I wasn't ready for specifics yet..."

Dana pouted, then after looking thoughtful for a moment, she gave him a winsome grin and said, "I asked first for the fireballs, okay?"

He laughed as he replied, "I'll bear it in mind."

Alyssa glanced at Jade who had a broad, happy smile on her face, and said, "That's a lovely thought, Jade."

Irillith put her arm around the Nymph, and asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Jade beamed at the girls, her white teeth sparkling against her lush, dark-green lips, and she said reverently, "We really are like sisters now, right down to our DNA."

Rachel looked startled for a moment, then said, "She's right. We're quite unique in the galaxy."

"I could've told you that," John said, and the girls laughed, then grinned at each other happily with a good mix of wonder thrown in too.

Alyssa rose from her chair, and exclaimed to her friends, "Definitely time for a group hug!"

Faye smiled happily for the girls, and while she was overjoyed for them, she couldn't help feeling left out. As a digital creature without any physical presence to speak of, she wasn't even able to share in the simple affection of a hug, to celebrate their newfound sense of solidarity. It was a painful reminder of just how far away she was from something that she'd been dreaming about with ever-increasing frequency.

John hadn't forgotten her, and he caught her eye when she happened to glance his way, as she so often did. He shared a sympathetic smile with the forlorn purple girl, but sadly, there was nothing he could do to help her with this particular predicament. Seeing the understanding in his eyes almost made it more painful for her though, as what she wanted more than anything at that particular moment was for him to be able to hold her in his arms.

She remained stoic, despite her painful unfamiliarity with those sensations of longing. After waiting for the girls to break apart from their group hug, she said, "I just wanted to let you know that according to Alyssa's updated Maliri territory maps, we'll be passing over the border between House Loraleth and House Ghilwen territory later this evening. It'll take us a day-and-a-half until we reach the Unclaimed Wastes from there."

"We've been making good time," John said approvingly.

Alyssa cast a cautious glance in Irillith's direction, having heard her unsettling thoughts, and asked, "Surely you're exaggerating?"

The worried Maliri girl shook her head as she replied, "No, I'm afraid not." Looking around at the confused faces staring in her direction, she continued, "I've been so wrapped up with helping Rachel and Calara, and the Invictus' network upgrades, that I wasn't paying any attention to our flight path. There's something extremely strange going on here."

"What do you mean?" John asked her curiously. "Edraele said she'd come to some kind or arrangement with those Houses to grant us safe passage."

Irillith gave him a funny look, which he couldn't quite identify, although utter incredulity came to mind.

Realising that John and the girls had no idea about the intricate webs of hate linking the Maliri leaders, she replied, "The matriarchs that rule those houses - Shaedra Loraleth, and Aradrea Ghilwen - absolutely loathe my mother. I can't think of a better way of goading them into throwing everything they've got at us, than Edraele asking them to let us pass through their territory."

"Apart from that Loraleth Fleet that met us at the border, I've not seen a sign of any military ships anywhere near our flight path for the last several days," Faye said cheerfully.

This did nothing to soothe Irillith's fears, and if anything, she looked even more alarmed. "Shaedra might be waiting to ambush us on the outer edge of Loraleth territory! There might not be any military ships here, because they're all massed at the border!" She walked over to John, placing a hand on his arm as she looked into his eyes, and added urgently, "House Loraleth is second only to House Valaden in the number of ships they have at their disposal. This could be extremely dangerous!"

*Tell Irillith to stop panicking,* Edraele said with some amusement. *I'm proud of her very sensible caution, but in this particular case, there's nothing to worry about. I promise you that you'll be able to pass completely unopposed through Maliri Space, on my word as your Matriarch.*

John stroked Irillith's arm reassuringly, and said, "Edraele says she's proud of you for being cautious, but she just promised me that we won't be attacked."

Alyssa gave her a soothing smile, and said, "I think Edraele might be right, maybe Shaedra isn't running the show any more? That Maliri Fleet Commander said someone else was Matriarch now. Kallie or something?"

"Kali Loraleth?!" Irillith blurted out, her violet eyes going wide in stunned disbelief.

"Yeah, that was it," Alyssa nodded. "Emalayne mentioned a Matriarch Kali Loraleth had sent her to meet us, and give us the files on Hades and the Underworld."

The Maliri girl wasn't sure which she found the most unsettling: praise from her mother, knowing that they were surrounded by House Valaden's main rivals, or the shocking revelation that Shaedra Loraleth's youngest daughter now ruled their House.

"I trust Edraele, I'm sure we're going to be okay," John said to Irillith with a reassuring smile.

After some deliberation she nodded reluctantly, but glancing at Faye, she said, "I'd still keep your eyes peeled, especially as we get closer to the border."

Faye nodded enthusiastically, and replied, "Sure, I'll put three of my Avatars on reviewing and analysing the results from the long-range sensors!"

Irillith was somewhat mollified by this, but she was still reeling from the disturbing revelations about the change in leadership of House Loraleth. She'd read the extensive security dossiers on all the members of Shaedra Loraleth's noble household, and the youngest daughter's temperament was about as far removed from her mother's as it was possible to get. The only way Kali could have become Matriarch is if her mother and all three of her elder sisters had met some permanent end, which would represent a titanic shift of power in Maliri politics. She kept her thoughts to herself though, not wanting to trouble John and the girls with the internecine strife of the Maliri Regency.

With no more comments from Irillith, Faye looked at Calara with a hopeful smile on her face as she asked, "I was wondering if you could spare some time this afternoon to talk about gunnery? I'd like to learn as much from you as I can!"

"Of course," Calara agreed. "I'll head up to the Bridge and give you some more pointers."

John looked around the group, and said, "Alright then girls, have a good afternoon, and I'll see you for dinner."

"No being late this time," Alyssa said, wagging a finger. "You two were already up early to train, and we miss your company in the evening when you're too exhausted to talk!"

"It's my fault, I keep leading him astray," Sakura apologised with a blush.

Jade wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl, placing her cool hands on her rounded belly, and said, "As long as it's because you're having fun in bed after training, I'm sure that's okay. Right Alyssa?"

The blonde winked at her and purred, "Absolutely."

With light-hearted laughter ringing in their ears, John took Sakura's hand and they waved everyone goodbye as they headed down to the Firing Range.

***

The entire crew gathered on the Bridge later that evening, with everyone wanting to see the unveiling of the new stations before they crossed the Loraleth border. Alyssa pressed a button on her console, and to the right of the Bridge, between Calara and Irillith, the new station began to glow with power. One panel after another flickered to life, emitting a soothing blue glow as the entire console came online.

"Take your station, Security Chief," John said to Sakura, and she bowed to him, before striding down the ramp to take her place.

Sakura sat down in the comfortable chair, and looked excitedly at the various displays on her console. Dana strolled over to join her, and leaning over her shoulder she began to point out various panels.

The redhead smiled as she said, "You'll have access to all the internal and external security cameras here, so you'll be able to watch out for boarding actions, that kind of thing. You've also got full access to the internal defence grid, which currently only consists of Gatling Lasers, and blast doors."

"I've got lots of ideas for how we can improve those!" Faye said cheerfully, fluttering over to sit on top of the Security Console.

Sakura glanced up at the purple AI, and said, "We'll definitely review those before we re-enter Maliri Space. I'd like to have some new precautions in place before we reach our destination and are exposed to potential security threats."

"Sure! Just come and speak to me whenever you get a chance!" Faye said with an inviting smile.