Reaping the Whirlwind
The John Blake Chronicles – Volume 2
Three Square Meals
By
M Tefler
(c) 2017 M Tefler
Foreword
This is the second book in the John Blake Chronicles and is a direct continuation of Volume 1, covering chapters 11 to 20 of the story. The scope of this tale widens now as the crew explore more of the galaxy together, uncovering more mysteries...
The John Blake Chronicles – Volume 2
Foreword
Three Square Meals Ch. 11 – A new adventure
Three Square Meals Ch. 12 – Helping the new crewmate settle in
Three Square Meals Ch. 13 – The quiet before the storm
Three Square Meals Ch. 14 – The pirates sowed the wind
Three Square Meals Ch. 15 – Battling against the odds
Three Square Meals Ch. 16 – A final reckoning
Three Square Meals Ch. 17 – Surprising revelations aboard the Invictus
Three Square Meals Ch. 18 – Secrets shared and new mysteries revealed
Three Square Meals Ch. 19 – Resupply at Olympus Shipyard
Three Square Meals Ch. 20 – Fun with new toys
Author’s Note
Three Square Meals Ch. 11 – A new adventure
"Come on," Alyssa said, smiling at the spiky-haired redhead. "Let's go and tell John we're headed to Olympus Shipyard!"
The beautiful blonde rose from the Executive Officer’s chair and offered a hand to her petite friend. Sparks clasped Alyssa’s slender fingers, then marvelled at the incredible softness of her velvety smooth skin. After spending most of her young life grafting in her workshop, Sparks’ own hands were rough and callused, and she felt self-conscious around Alyssa’s radiant beauty.
When Alyssa had first escaped from their asteroid homeworld, the blonde girl had been a pale shadow of the outrageously beautiful woman she had transformed into. Like all inhabitants of Karron, who never received any exposure to the sun, Alyssa had left the planetoid with ghostly white skin. She’d also been suffering from severe malnutrition, having survived on the knife-edge of starvation for most of her life. Although she had still been a pretty girl back then, the lack of food had stunted her growth, the thin waif barely more than five-foot-tall.
Sparks had resigned herself to never seeing her best friend again, having urged her to stow away aboard John’s freighter to escape from vengeful gang members. Then six weeks later, Alyssa had unexpectedly breezed back into the redhead’s life, turning it upside down. Her friend was now tall and toned, with flawless bronzed skin that practically glowed with vitality. In the peak of physical condition and with her glorious golden blonde mane of hair, she looked like she had just stepped out of a glossy Holo-vid commercial!
Sparks was finding the miraculous change to be more than a little unsettling...
Alyssa glided down the illuminated steps from the Command Podium and led Sparks into the Commander's Ready Room. She gave John a cheeky mock salute and said, "Course laid in and we're on our way, Commander!"
John grinned at the playful teenager. "Very good, XO."
"Why don't we get you settled into a room," John suggested to Sparks. "This must all seem pretty daunting at the moment."
The culture-shocked redhead had been looking around the room with wide eyes, but she focused on him again and sighed as she said, "You got that right..."
"Okay, let's get going," John said, getting up and leading the two girls back out to the Bridge. "We need to go to our room and change anyway."
Calara greeted them with a warm smile when they appeared, her dark brown eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at the petite redhead.
"We're going to pack away our combat gear," John said to the Latina as he walked towards the elevator. "Will you be alright holding the Bridge for the moment?"
Calara nodded and glanced at the holographic Sector Map. "I wanted to do some long-range scans for pirates anyway.”
"Let's meet up for dinner in a couple of hours," John suggested, as he hit the button to summon the elevator.
Calara smiled happily as she waved them goodbye. "See you then!"
Sparks glanced over her shoulder to take a final look at the stunning Latina, feeling more than a little intimidated by Calara’s beauty and poise.
“You coming, Sparks?” John prompted her with a kind smile.
She bobbed her head and darted through the elevator doors to join John and Alyssa. They descended to Deck Two and the soft chime from the elevator notified them that they’d reached their destination, the doors swishing smoothly open.
"That's the Officers’ Lounge through there," Alyssa said to her friend, pointing at the double doors at the end of the corridor. Turning and pointing in the opposite direction, she added, "Our rooms are this way.”
The group walked past the playroom and the other empty officers’ quarters before coming to a halt at the door adjacent to Calara's room.
"You can have this one," Alyssa said, hitting the button to open the door. "Decorate it however you like, but please keep it tidy.”
Sparks poked her head around the door and looked around the quarters in amazement. "Wow, this room is fucking huge!" she gasped, used to a tiny cot bed back at her workshop. She walked in and ran her hand over the covers on the king size bed. "This feels amazing, the covers are so soft!"
"Let us know if you need anything," John said, his voice kind and reassuring. "We want you to be happy and comfortable."
Sparks nodded absent-mindedly as she walked around the room, taking everything in. She couldn't believe how luxurious her new quarters seemed. Wondering if she needed to pinch herself to wake up, she walked back to join her new crewmates who were waiting in the corridor.
"Calara sleeps in there," Alyssa explained, pointing at the adjacent room. Her full lips turned up into a mischievous smile. "Some of the time!"
John looked a bit embarrassed and Sparks narrowed her eyes in anger as she stared at him, suddenly faced with the reality of their living arrangements.
"You're fucking both of them?!" she asked him with an accusatory tone to her voice, feeling protective of her blonde friend.
John opened his mouth to reply, but he was quickly cut off by the blonde at his side.
"Absolutely!” Alyssa exclaimed with a cheeky grin on her face. “He’s amazing in bed and if you're nice to him, maybe he'll start fucking you too! Isn't that wonderful?"
That put a quick end to John's interrogation and Sparks blushed bright red with embarrassment. Alyssa walked over to her and the statuesque young woman enfolded her smaller friend in a comforting embrace.
"I'm sorry, Sparks. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, it's just better if we're all open with each other," she explained, her voice gentle and soothing. "My life has been amazing since I met up with John and I just want that for you too.”
They hugged for a while, with Alyssa just providing reassurance and comfort for her overwhelmed friend. John watched them quietly, unsure how to handle the volatile redhead. He decided to let Alyssa take the lead with Sparks, the confident blonde being far more comfortable with her old friend. As he was watching the two of them, a sudden thought came to mind and Alyssa turned to look at him, nodding her approval with a warm smile. He returned her smile then turned and strode into their bedroom.
Eventually Sparks pulled back from the hug and looked up at the beautiful blonde. "This is all so weird... You remind me of my old friend, but you just look and sound totally different," she said hesitantly, struggling to explain the confusing feelings she was experiencing.
Alyssa smiled back fondly at the petite girl. "I'm still me, Sparks."
"Yeah, but it's like you've turned into Alyssa Plus!” the redhead protest
ed. “You used to be a bit shy and introverted, and only really opened up when it was just the two of us. The way you were on the Bridge... that was amazing!"
Alyssa tilted her head to the side, considering her friend's observation. She looked a bit less sure of herself as she asked quietly, "Do you like the new me?"
Sparks nodded and replied honestly, "You're a bit intimidating, but yeah, I like the new you a lot!"
"Well, that's all that matters then," Alyssa said with a relieved grin. "Come on, I need to get out of this armour!"
She led her smaller friend into her huge bedroom, then glided through the door into the walk-in-wardrobe. The redhead stopped to marvel at the opulent luxury of the bedroom and the impressively huge four-poster bed, the first she’d ever seen.
When she followed her friend through the first of the two doors to her right, Sparks’ eyes were so wide, it looked like they were about to fall out of her head. "This is just your closet?!"
"Uh-huh," Alyssa replied as she stood in the middle of the room, unzipping and unbuckling her combat armour, before piling up the ceramic plated sections on the floor.
She noticed John's gear was neatly stowed away in the corner, so she placed hers next to his in its usual spot. Feeling stiff from wearing body armour for several hours, Alyssa stretched her arms over her head to get the kinks out of her muscles. She heard a startled gasp behind her and she turned around to look at Sparks.
"You're naked!" Sparks gasped, reddening in embarrassment again.
Alyssa looked down at her gloriously nude body in mock amazement "Why, yes I am!" she exclaimed. Posing provocatively, she had a gleam in her cerulean eyes. "Do you like?"
Sparks made a concerted effort to get over her prudishness and gulped loudly. Alyssa looked at her with a raised eyebrow as if asking the question again and Sparks nodded tentatively.
"Would you like to look like this?" Alyssa asked, her tone serious as she gazed into Sparks’ wide eyes.
Sparks shuffled her feet and looked away as she mumbled in embarrassment, "You know I could never look as good as you..."
"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we" Alyssa replied, arching an eyebrow. “Now it’s time for you to strip off those clothes! Let's go have a shower, I really want to wash Karron off me!"
Sparks gulped again, steeling herself and then shyly began to remove her clothes. She cringed when she was finally naked, feeling like the proverbial ugly duckling standing next to a beautiful swan.
Alyssa waited patiently for her to undress, then grinned and threw her a towel. "Let's go!"
Alyssa led Sparks into the adjoining bathroom and sashayed over to John, who was sitting in the huge bath. She leaned over to give him a tender kiss, running her hands through his hair. Sparks squeaked and tried to cover herself with the towel, her earlier bravado in the briefing room long forgotten.
"Come on you, let's get nice and clean," Alyssa said, walking back to Sparks and leading her to the large shower cubicle.
John closed his eyes and sank a bit lower into the bath to save the girl further embarrassment.
Alyssa activated the shower and pulled her smaller friend in with her. With a no-nonsense attitude, she soaped up her hands and then began to wash the redhead, who had built up layers of grime after countless hours spent labouring away in her grubby workshop. Sparks was tense and stiff to start with, mortified at her friend running her hands all over her body.
The luscious blonde had a gentle but firm touch and the way she massaged her muscles felt amazing. Alyssa started with Sparks’ spiky hair and carefully washed out all the stiff gel holding up the spikes. When she was done, the teenager was left with a shock of short, red hair as Alyssa then began to work down her body.
Eventually Sparks relaxed completely, just luxuriating in the sensations and didn't even react when her friend ran her soapy hands over her breasts and between her legs. It didn't feel sexual, it just felt caring, as Alyssa laboured to get her completely clean. Her skin tingled when Alyssa rinsed off all the soap and Sparks could honestly say she had never been cleaner in her life.
Alyssa pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around the petite girl. She pressed her lips against Sparks’ ear and whispered soothingly, “You’re safe now, Sparks. Just relax, okay? No one’s going to hurt you or make you do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
Sparks pulled back a little to look up into her friend’s bright blue eyes. She could see the openness there and feel the honesty in her words. Taking a deep breath, she slowly nodded, giving the stunning blonde a tentative smile.
Alyssa’s answering smile turned into a huge grin as she said excitedly "Now it’s time for a bath! I swear, you haven't lived until you've had a long soak in a bubble bath!"
Caught up with the blonde’s infectious enthusiasm, Sparks followed after her and carefully stepped into the glistening pile of soapy bubbles piled up at the end of the bath. Alyssa pushed gently on her back to get her to move forward and then the lithesome beauty slipped gracefully into the water behind her. Sparks still wasn't used to such close physical proximity and her nerves felt on edge as she sat stiff and awkward in the hot water. Alyssa's gloriously smooth arms enfolded the smaller girl in a hug and pulled her back to rest on her curvy athletic body.
"I've never...." Sparks murmured, before Alyssa cut her off.
"It's okay, I know. Shh now, just relax," the beautiful teenager whispered in Sparks’ ear, as she gave her a gentle kiss.
The petite redhead found herself lulled into a boneless state by the warmth of the bubbles. She sank lower and rested her head on Alyssa's wonderfully soft and pliant cleavage. Sparks felt drowsy, warm and safe as she rested in her friend's soothing embrace.
After dozing in the huge bathtub for nearly an hour, Sparks gently awoke. She was initially surprised to be nestled up so intimately with her friend, but she felt so relaxed, her discomfort passed in moments. The water was still just as deliciously hot as it had been when she first stepped into the tub and she was filled with curiosity as to how the bath worked. Opening her eyes to investigate, she was shocked to see John at the other end of the tub. She had been so distracted by the warm water, the soapy bubbles, and Alyssa's silky soft skin, that she had forgotten her friend's lover was in the bath with them.
Alyssa snuggled in closer behind her. "What did I tell you? Bubble baths are the best thing ever!" she said, sighing deeply.
Sparks nodded, watching John a bit warily. “Yeah, they’re not too bad I guess.”
"He's not going to bite," Alyssa said, as she hugged the redhead a bit tighter. "John's a gentle and loving guy. Do you really think girls like Calara and me would stay with him if he wasn't amazing?"
Sparks thought about that for a moment and realised that Alyssa made a good point. The blonde and brunette were so astonishingly beautiful that they could have their pick of any man in the galaxy. Alyssa clearly adored John and with Calara it bordered on hero worship, so he must have some good qualities. Alyssa’s newfound intellect was another thing that Sparks was finding deeply disconcerting. Their old relationship had been based on the dynamic that Sparks was the clever one and Alyssa was the pretty one. Now Alyssa had gone from pretty to stunningly gorgeous, but also seemed to be just as smart, if not smarter than Sparks! What the hell was going on?
"You're right," Sparks admitted, looking across the bath at their male companion. "I'm sorry, John. You saved my life and you obviously love Alyssa, but I've been acting like an asshole towards you."
John shrugged and gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't offended. You've had a lot of changes to adapt to in the last few hours and I can appreciate how daunting all this must be."
“Thank you,” Sparks said, still feeling a bit shy, but a lot more at ease around him.
They rested together for a while longer in comfortable silence until Alyssa stretched and let out a contented sigh. "I think it’s about time for dinner," she said, a glint in her eye.
Climbing elegantly out of
the tub, Alyssa strolled confidently to the heated towel rail. She didn't bother to dry herself, she just held the towel open for Sparks invitingly. The redhead took a deep breath and stood up, with John standing a moment later. He offered her his hand and she tried not to look at his nakedness as she stepped daintily out of the tub and into Alyssa's welcoming arms. The heated towel felt delicious and Sparks let Alyssa dry her body in the towel’s snug embrace.
Once everyone was ready, the lovely blonde led the petite redhead into the bedroom, where they sat on the bed together. A sudden nervous tension suddenly filled the air and Sparks shot Alyssa a nervous glance.
Alyssa gave her a reassuring smile, then said calmly to her lover, "John, Sparks has never done anything like this before. Please can you be very gentle with her."
"Alyssa!" Sparks hissed, mortified by her friend’s words.