Three Square Meals Ch. 108

To his utter disbelief, he realised she'd played him with a double feint. The instant his foot had left the floor to rebalance his weight, Calara struck with a lighting fast kick... and it was like having his legs knocked out from under him by an iron bar. He tripped over backwards, then tucked himself into the fall and rolled with it into a crouch.

"That was just to get your attention," she said grimly, watching as he slowly rose to his feet. "Now fight me properly. You're insulting me by refusing."

Jack gaped at her in astonishment, watching as Calara backed away and squared off against him again. She beckoned him to attack, then nodded in gratitude when he stepped forward to engage her. His first attack was a tentative punch to the chest, but she batted it aside contemptuously and countered with a stinging hook to the ribs. Jack winced as she landed the hit, amazed at how deftly she'd riposted and the force behind that blow.

Taking her seriously as an opponent now, he opened with a broad leg sweep, which Calara promptly leapt over, her booted feet clearing him easily. As she landed, Jack lunged forward, trying to catch her off-balance with a quick jab aimed at her jaw. She weaved aside at the last second, the punch whistling harmlessly past her cheek. Jack pulled back to protect himself against another powerful counter punch to his chest, then he launched a flurry of punches of his own, attempting to push her onto the defensive.

Calara seemed happy to do just that, no longer trying to attack him, but focusing on dodging or blocking his punches and kicks. There was a calm certainty in her movements that he'd never experienced before against any other opponent; it was almost as if she knew without a doubt that she would successfully defend against his attack. Surprise turned into irritation as she shut down dozens of moves, making each block look effortless. He started to wonder if she was just toying with him and glanced at her face in annoyance, almost expecting to see a mocking smile.

What he saw froze him rigid.

His daughter's brown eyes were illuminated by a warm inner glow, and she wasn't laughing at him... she was watching him intently.

Calara relaxed her guard when the sparring match ground to a halt and gave him a tentative smile. "The Lionesses all have psychic abilities. I can see the future, Dad. Every move you make, I know before you make it."

Jack's jaw fell open as he stared at her incredulously. "B-but... I don't even..."

The glow faded from her eyes and she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm sorry to shock you like this but it was the only way to make you really understand." Looking up at him with an open expression, she continued quietly, "You know I nearly died when I was captured and tortured by those pirates? Well, John saved me, healed me, then gave me these abilities. All the Lionesses are the same... we're only alive today because of him."

Her father blinked a couple of times as he considered her words, then murmured, "I just don't know where to even begin..." Shaking his head in disbelief, he added, "I mean... seeing the future?! That's crazy!"

Calara nodded and smiled at him. "I know, it's a lot to take in." Tilting her head to one side, she looked thoughtful as she continued, "Just to be clear, it's not like I get premonitions or anything like that. My prescience only works when I actively concentrate on using it, then I get an insight into what's about to happen to someone or something for the next thirty seconds or so. It's like seeing pictures on a roll of film, but I can change the outcome by intervening on one of those frames, altering the timeline."

Jack leaned heavily against his desk, desperately trying to grasp the concepts she was explaining. "So that's why you made dodging and blocking seem so effortless?"

"That's right. When you know what's coming, you can easily reposition your body in advance," she explained, relieved that he'd got over the initial shock. "Although, John didn't give me this ability for melee combat, I've mainly been using it in fleet battles."

"How?" her father asked, listening in fascination.

"The Zeus should have been destroyed in the Battle of Terra," she replied, her voice sombre. "A Kintark battleship was meant to fire a torpedo salvo that ruptured the Singularity Driver's acceleration chamber. I warned Admiral Caldwell beforehand and he managed to destroy the Yalarn'tok before it could open fire."

"My God..." Jack muttered, looking at her in awe.

Calara blushed when she saw his expression. "I'm not telling you this to show off, I just want you to understand that my relationship with John and the girls is very special. We love each other unconditionally, but we're all connected together in ways that aren't easy to explain or for you to understand."

He shook his head as he looked at her. "I suppose your mother figured all this out herself?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not everything, but she guessed about my relationship with Alyssa and the girls that day I brought them back home to visit."

"How about the rest? Like the psychic abilities?" he persisted, curious to find out how much Maria knew.

"My powers only manifested fairly recently, so I haven't discussed them with her yet," Calara explained patiently. "When we dropped by Jericho last month, we let her know about everything else that was happening."

Jack's brow furrowed as he looked at her with concern. "What else is there?"

Calara's expression turned grim. "That we're preparing for war..."

By the way she said it, Jack knew she wasn't referring to the Kirrix.

She walked over to the sofa and sat down, then patted the chair beside her. "Sit with me, Dad. I'll tell you everything..."

***

The Damocles' shuttle bay was deserted when Mateo led John and Alyssa back to the black-hulled stealth ship, the crowds having departed long ago.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Mateo asked, looking at the couple with concern. "If Dad decides to be a hardass about the three of you, I'm happy to be here for moral support."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think we'll be fine," John replied gratefully.

Alyssa smiled as she nodded. "Calara and Jack are on their way. Your sister managed to explain things to him... he actually took it rather well."

"Wonders never cease," Mateo said, returning her smile. He looked at the blonde and his expression turned serious. "Thank you so much for clearing everything up with Emily. She had me really worried there for a while."

"Emily's a lovely girl, I can see why you're so fond of her," Alyssa said, stepping forward to give him a warm hug. "But I should be thanking you for being so understanding... about Calara being with the two of us."

He laughed as he embraced her. "You pulled me out of that Kintark hellhole... if it wasn't for you I would have died in Xen-Nuchek. I think you've more than earned unlimited acceptance from your future brother-in-law... even if I find myself suddenly incredibly envious of my little sister."

When they separated, John raised an eyebrow as he shook hands with the younger man. "I didn't know you swung that way, Mateo?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "I was referring to Alyssa, not you! Don't you start tormenting me as well, the girls were bad enough..."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," John said with a grin.

Mateo smiled at the pair of them. "I've seen how happy Calara is now that she's with the two of you. That's all that really matters to me."

"So you're still coming to the wedding then?" Alyssa asked hopefully.

"An all-expenses-paid vacation on Oceanus? Try keeping me away!" he exclaimed, not having to fake his enthusiasm. "I haven't told Emily yet, but she's going to be ecstatic."

"If we don't see you before then, take care, Mateo... it was great to see you again," John said, glad to have had a chance to meet with Calara's elder brother again.

"Likewise," the Latino said, before waving goodbye and leaving the shuttle bay.

He met his father and sister in the corridor and Mateo hugged Calara as they said their goodbyes. However, Jack's attention was focused squarely on John, and even from this distance there was no mistaking the shell-shocked expression on his face.

*Calara told him pretty much everything,* Alyssa said, slipping her hand into John's. *Although she glossed over exactly how you gave her psychic abilities...*

John watched Calara's father walk across the shuttle bay and felt a sense of mounting apprehension. *Well I'm glad that's one awkward conversation we can avoid.*

Jack stopped in front of the pair of them and looked at each in turn. He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated, unable to find the right words.

Giving him a look of sympathy, John said, "Alyssa tells me that Calara explained everything that we're dealing with. You must feel like your world has been turned upside down."

"That's putting it mildly," Jack said with a humourless laugh. He locked eyes with John and continued, "You've got billions of people counting on you to make the right choices... but you never gave the slightest hint of what you were dealing with. How can you stay strong under that much pressure?"

"I'm not alone in this. I've got the girls to support me," John said, glancing at Calara who joined them silently. He looked back at her father and continued, "I don't need to tell you how amazing your daughter is. With Calara by my side it feels like we can achieve the impossible... and we've done that so many times already."

Jack put his arm around Calara. "My every instinct is crying out to ask that you leave my daughter out of this fight... but I know she would never leave your side, no matter what I say."

"He needs me, Dad... they all do," Calara said quietly. "You know the things I'm capable of now, they don't stand a chance without me there to manage the fleet battles."

John frowned as he met Jack's troubled gaze. "I'd love to do as you ask and keep her away from danger... Believe me, if I had my way, I'd face this fight alone so I could keep all the girls safe. But Calara's right; there isn't anyone in the galaxy capable of doing the things she can do. You saw her in action at Regulus and Terra... both of those battles would have ended in disaster if not for her."

Jack sighed heavily. "I know..."

Alyssa wrapped her arms around Jack and gave him a tight squeeze. She pressed her lips to his ear and whispered, "We love Calara very much. If it came to it, John and I would give our lives to save hers. You can trust us to do everything in our power to keep her safe."

He smiled gratefully at her, then looked at John. "Calara explained the consequences if you lose this fight against the other Progenitor. It's sobering to realise that the lives of everyone I hold dear is resting in your hands."

"In our hands," John insisted. "And who better to fight for your family than Calara?"

The Latina rolled her eyes at her father. "It's not like we haven't had much practice... I had no idea our family was so prone to getting into trouble! I think the only ones who haven't needed us to rush to their rescue are Mom and Dylan."

Jack turned and gave her a bear hug. "With everything else, I haven't even had a chance to thank you for saving Eduardo. He said the Orion was seconds away from annihilation... then you swept in and obliterated every Kintark ship in sight!"

Calara hugged him back and said fondly, "Niñito can be pretty annoying, but family dinners wouldn't be the same without him."

He smiled at her, knowing she was trying to be modest. "Take care of yourself, Callie. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers."

"You too, Dad," she said, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "You've got a big fight ahead of you liberating Tasmaris Prime. Please promise me you'll be careful."

"I will." He turned to shake John's hand and the two men exchanged a meaningful look, further conversation unnecessary.

John, Calara, and Alyssa re-entered the shuttle, waving goodbye to Jack as their holographic pilot powered up the engines of the black-hulled ship.

"Did it all go well?" Faye asked, turning to greet them with a warm smile.

Alyssa grinned as she replied, "We managed to shock the hell out of Mateo, but he got over that pretty quickly."

John nodded and put his arm around Calara. "He was just really pleased that his sister was happy."

The Latina turned to embrace him, relaxing in his arms. "I was so worried about telling my dad, but he'd already guessed that me and Alyssa were together. I did manage to surprise him when I told him I was sleeping with the rest of the girls too, but he actually took that in his stride."

Alyssa cuddled her girlfriend from behind. "The girls are all smoking hot, I'm not surprised."

Calara nodded, then glanced up at John. "Dad wasn't amused when he heard you were sleeping with everyone as well though. In the end, I told him about my psychic abilities, the Maliri, and the other Progenitor to distract him."

John brushed his fingers through her hair, then gently stroked her head. "Alyssa told me about your impromptu sparring match with your father. I'm sorry it came to that... I never wanted to interfere in your relationship that way. I know how much you respect him; it must have been incredibly difficult to square off against him like that."

She thought about it a moment before answering. "Actually, once I made the decision it was surprisingly easy to go through with it. I didn't realise how much I resented being left out of the family sparring matches... that all came bubbling up when I confronted him about excluding me. Dad claims he was just worried about me getting hurt, but he could still have trained me for fighting without full contact. He didn't admit it, but I think he just didn't like the idea of his precious little girl doing anything so unladylike."

"I have to sympathise with him there," Alyssa said, hugging her lover closer. "I don't like seeing you and John hitting each other either."

Calara turned and looked at her in surprise. "But you never said anything!"

"I had no idea you felt that way!" John exclaimed, equally shocked.

"You each get so much enjoyment out of martial arts, I didn't want to ruin your fun," the blonde said with a rueful smile. "But that's why I don't watch your sparring sessions very often. I love you both and I don't want to watch you getting hurt."

"Honey, you should have told us," John said, pulling the blonde closer.

Alyssa shook her head. "I only said something now because I don't want Calara to judge her dad too harshly." She looked her girlfriend in the eyes and continued, "It's easy to forget how you were before the Change; I know I rarely think about being that petite little waif anymore, but you need to remember that you were a slim 5-foot-5 girl and your brothers are all big guys..."

"She's right," John said, stroking Calara's arm supportively. "You would've had no chance of beating any of your brothers in a fair fight... your dad was probably trying to save you from lots of frustration and disappointment."

Calara looked chagrined and glanced through the window at the Damocles as the shuttle swept around to the rear of the Invictus. "You're right. Now I wish I hadn't said that to my dad..."

"No, it was good you finally told him," Alyssa said, tenderly kissing her on the cheek. "Whatever his reasons, you still ended up feeling like you were left out."

John nodded his agreement. "Jack might have had a sensible reason to discourage you from full-contact sparring with your brothers, but he could still have trained you to fight against people more your own build."

The Latina nodded thoughtfully. "I'll talk to him about it again next time we meet." She smiled as she added, "His head is probably still in a spin after everything I dropped on him today. I'm sure he could use some time to adjust to it all."

"Both your parents have been incredibly stoic about all this," John said, the admiration clear in his voice. "I'm sure a lot of people would've fallen to pieces if they were told they were facing Armageddon and there was nothing they could do about it."

"I'm proud of them," Calara said, her full lips turning up into an affectionate smile. "And it's a huge relief to be honest about our relationship at long last. Telling them the truth was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Alyssa nuzzled into her neck and began planting fluttering kisses on Calara's olive skin. "Poor baby... sounds like you need to be rewarded for being such a brave girl."

John smiled at her then leaned down to kiss her from the opposite side, savouring the softness of her throat with his lips. "I have to agree... we also need to make it up to you for making you feel left out last night."

Calara's knees weakened under that dual onslaught, all rational thought driven from her mind. "Oh God... that feels amazing..."

Alyssa's cerulean eyes smouldered as she turned to gaze at John. "I think Dana was right... we need to make a Progenitor sandwich out of this sexy girl..."

Faye turned and glanced back at the Latina, watching Calara's long eyelashes fluttering as she wavered unsteadily on her feet, clinging desperately to her lovers. She envied the ease with which they shifted into a sexual encounter, John and Alyssa realising what Calara needed then sensually responding. The purple sprite turned away, giving them their privacy as she guided the shuttle into the Invictus' Cargo Bay.

Choosing a clear area of the deck away from the stacks of ore crates, she brought them down for a gentle landing, barely a tremor going through the black hull. She activated the airlock, which slid open with a quiet hiss. "We're home!" Faye called over her shoulder.

John smiled at the two teenagers, who gave him a smouldering look filled with desire before they slipped out through the airlock, giggling together as they headed for their bedroom. Turning to face their holographic pilot, he asked, "How did the upgrade go? Were there any problems?"

Faye powered down the engines and knelt on the Pilot's chair, arms folded on the headrest. "We're all done! The Photon Lasers and Heavy Quantum Guns have been replaced by Tachyon Lances on the Invictus, Raptor, and Valkyrie."

"Fantastic, well done, honey," he said, giving her an appreciative smile.

She grinned at him and continued, "I've also set a course for Pi Sagittarii, so say the word and I'll take us into hyper-warp!"

John nodded his agreement. "Okay, take us out of here. When you arrive in-system, keep us on low-power and bring us in close to Carolus III. It would be good to know exactly what we're up against before we engage the Kirrix."

"Will do!" she enthusiastically agreed. "Are you going to do a mission brief in the bedroom or the Combat Bridge?"

"The bedroom," he replied, sharing a knowing smile with her. "I need to pre-load the girls before the battle."

"I'll gather as much data as I can on passive sensors, then get it ready for you to review," Faye said, more than eager to help.

"You're an angel, thank you," John said gratefully, as he headed for the airlock to follow Alyssa and Calara.

"I'm a fairy! And I'm definitely not an angel," Faye replied with a wicked grin, fluttering her iridescent wings.

John laughed as she waved him goodbye.

***

A piercing scream jolted Tony from sleep and he fumbled for the flashlight that he'd left by his pack. Flicking on the glowing beam, he saw Perl sitting bolt upright, her right hand fumbling for her left arm. She took one look at the stump and her expression twisted in horror, before she fainted dead away, collapsing into Tony's arms.

"Oh shit..." Kelli muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Can you get her some water? She'll wake up again in a minute," Tony requested, easing Perl back onto the blankets.