Three Square Meals Ch. 107

With the defenders distracted and the machine guns silenced, more Kirrix troops were able to pour unopposed through the tunnel. The volume of fire from their neutron rifles intensified, with a storm of vicious energy bolts spraying along the top of the battlements. Mercenaries and miners alike started dropping as they were struck, their agonised screams reaching the three spectators and chilling them to the bone.

Tony turned to look at the two girls and saw their horrified expressions as the Kirrix started to overrun the compound. "Let's go," he said, his voice subdued. "We've seen enough..."

They looked at him, both clearly scared out of their minds. He tried to give them a reassuring smile as he backed away into the tunnel, but he was barely keeping it together himself. His legs felt leaden as he stumbled along the passage, eventually back-tracking to the fork in the tunnel, then taking the one route they hadn't yet explored. Hiding from the Bugs in the deepest, darkest hole that Karron had to offer had always been his main plan, but now there was nowhere left to run. The Kirrix had just smashed the last group of organised defence on the godforsaken asteroid, killing off his last hope of surviving.

Tony couldn't believe how quickly everything had turned to shit. His whole life for the last 28 years was gone... everyone he'd ever known dragged away by the Bugs to die a truly horrible death. A black cloud of depression fell over him and he wondered if it would be kinder to Perl and Kelli to just put a bullet in their heads, before finishing himself off too. Better that, than being eaten alive from the inside as Kirrix grubs chewed their way out of their bodies.

He stopped to look back at the two girls, seeing the same bleak hopelessness in their eyes that he felt himself.

The ground suddenly seemed to convulse in shock, a thunderous roar deafening him as he was knocked sprawling. There was a second ominous rumble, then the last thing he saw was the roof buckling and collapsing, the girls' terrified screams drowned out by the cave-in. Tony flung his arms up instinctively to protect his face, but he felt a sharp pain... then nothing... darkness taking him.

***

Captain Preston Bexley was a large, heavyset man, and his chair squeaked as if in protest every time he shifted his bulk. "The Tactical treatise was excellent, Tom," he said with a smile, looking through the holo-screen floating above his desk at the young man seated opposite. "With just the kind of flair and attention to detail I've come to expect from you."

Lt Commander Tom Walker couldn't help grinning at the warm praise. "Thank you, Sir. As you know, I've been interested in improving the integration of fleet elements. I'm convinced that officers coordinating assets at fleet-level would benefit greatly from temporary reassignments to carrier, heavy gun, and strike craft units. That way, they'd more fully understand the limitations of those units and the potential each can bring to a large-scale engagement."

Bexley chuckled and nodded. "I know... I did actually read your report before showing it to Admiral Morgan. He agrees with you and thinks your idea has merit. In fact, he was curious to know if you'd be interested in running a trial, with you as the test subject..."

Leaning forward, Tom's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Of course!"

"I know you already test high on Fleet Command simulations... sufficiently so to have piqued the Admiral's interest," Bexley said, smiling at the young man's enthusiasm. "After you've finished your reassignments, Morgan wants to challenge you to a simulated fleet battle. If you can beat him, you'll have earned a place on his bridge crew aboard the Momus."

Tom gaped at the big man for a second, then beamed with delight. "That sounds incredible! Thank you for bringing this to the Admiral's attention!"

"You're quite welcome," Bexley said, glancing down at his desk and pulling out a drawer. "I've approved a request for temporary reassignment, so take a look at the fleet's vacancy interface and apply for anything you're interested in." He pulled out a black box and slid it across the desk. "But take this first; Admiral Morgan wanted you to be able to apply for command roles."

Tom stared at the leather-bound box in shock. He reached for it with shaking hands and flipped up the lid to see the golden hawk insignia that denoted Commander rank in the Terran Federation military.

Bexley smiled at the young man's look of stunned disbelief. "Congratulations, Commander Walker. No need to look so surprised, your yearly evaluations have been superb. You're an excellent officer and you've been a pleasure to work with over the last four years. I'll be very sorry to lose you from my bridge crew."

"I've enjoyed working with you too, Sir," Tom gushed, shaking his Captain's hand.

"At this rate I'll be calling you 'Sir' soon," Bexley said with a smile. He waved him towards the door. "Now get out of here, I'm sure you'll want to celebrate your promotion."

Tom nodded and strode out of the Captain's Ready Room, eager to share the good news with his friends and family. He crossed the Bridge and entered the open elevator, then hit the button to descend to Deck Four. When the doors opened again at his destination, he saw Mason waiting for him outside his quarters. One look at his friend was all Tom needed to see that Mason was furious, his face like a thundercloud.

Slipping the black box into his jacket pocket, Tom walked over to his friend and asked with concern, "What's the matter, Mace?"

"Have you seen the TFNN interview?" Mason snarled, his hands clenched into fists.

"I saw the one with Sakura last night..." Tom replied, looking at his friend in confusion. He couldn't remember the Lioness or the TFNN reporter saying anything that might have upset his friend this much.

Shaking his head, Mason snapped. "No, not that one, TFNN showed another this afternoon! That bitch is blaming my dad for everything!"

Tom glanced both ways down the corridor and was relieved to see that it was deserted, the second shift change thirty minutes ago. He pressed his hand to the DNA reader beside the door to his room, then walked inside. "Come in, Mace. Tell me what happened."

"It's easier if I just show you," Mason growled, striding into the room and sidestepping Tom to retrieve the holo-remote from the bedside table.

He pressed several buttons, activating the holographic screen at the foot of the bed and flicking through the channel menu until he found TFNN. Mason angrily stabbed his thumb on the remote, rewinding the playback until Jehanna Elani and Fleet Admiral Devereux appeared on the screen. The two women twitched frenetically as their conversation was reversed at high speed, until Mason suddenly hit play.

Jehanna looked towards the camera and said in a sombre voice, "Last week, my colleagues here at TFNN ran several appeals for information after I was reported missing. I can now reveal to you that I was abducted by special forces troops and brought to a top-secret black ops base known as Tartarus, located in the remains of Ganymede. There I was subjected to several days of torture and interrogation by my abductors, a group of vicious killers with no regard for life. I would like to personally thank Admiral John Blake and his Lionesses for my rescue; If it wasn't for their timely intervention, there is no doubt that I would have been executed by my kidnappers."

She turned to look at her guest, the camera panning wider to include a second sofa. "To shed more light on my abduction, I have with me here today, the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, Lynette Devereux."

Lynette gave her a look filled with sympathy. "Before we begin this interview, I'd like to say how deeply sorry I am for the appalling treatment you received at the hands of rogue elements in the Admiralty."

"Thank you for your kind words," Jehanna replied, giving the Fleet Admiral a brave smile. Her beautiful face grew troubled as she continued, "I know that you were not personally involved with my kidnapping, but did you have any knowledge of the black ops base known as Tartarus?"

Lynette sighed and shook her head. "Prior to its dramatic exposure by the Lion, neither I nor the other admirals now serving in High Command were aware that Tartarus existed. If we had heard rumours of the horrific experiments conducted at this base, we would have shut it down immediately and brought those responsible to justice for their many terrible crimes."

Jehanna grimaced with disgust. "The atrocities conducted on alien and Terran citizens almost defy belief. Weaponised virus testing, gruesome cybernetic experimentation, and even the use of babies and small children for genetic testing. Those poor souls were all brutally murdered, the numbers of dead in the thousands. Do you now know who was ultimately responsible for the vile acts committed at Tartarus?"

The Fleet Admiral's eyes narrowed with anger. "Admiral Carl Weber oversaw the despicable research conducted at that awful place. However, it was Fleet Admiral Vincent Buckingham who was the evil mastermind behind Tartarus; everything that transpired there was done on his express orders and with his full endorsement."

The TFNN reporter looked shocked as she said, "How could he have kept something like that concealed from High Command?"

"Vincent Buckingham was a clever and manipulative sociopath, who schemed and betrayed the good men and women in High Command," Lynette replied, her voice firm and tone damning. "It would have been bad enough if the events in Tartarus had been the extent of his crimes, but he also recalled the fleet from the Kirrix border, exposing millions to terrible danger."

Jehanna shook her head in disbelief. "How could he do something like that? Everyone knows what the Kirrix are capable of!"

"Who can know the mind of a madman?" Lynette said, turning sorrowful. "After Buckingham's unfortunate demise at the hands of the Kintark Emperor, we'll never know what drove him to do the horrendous things that he did. If anyone on the border worlds is listening to this broadcast, know that help is on the way. I have ordered the fleets back to the Outer Rim, where they will be joined by the Lion to liberate those worlds and save those people from the Kirrix menace."

Giving the older woman a look of sympathy, Jehanna said, "I know I wasn't the only one that suffered at Buckingham's hand. I believe you were shot on his orders, when you tried to warn the Lion about the Kintark invasion..."

Lynette's expression was filled with remorse. "I will regret underestimating Buckingham to my dying day. I never thought he would be so consumed with jealousy of the Lion that he would keep news of the invasion secret from High Command and refuse to ask for assistance against the Kintark. When I discovered the dreadful truth, I attempted to contact Admiral John Blake immediately, only to be shot and incarcerated by Buckingham's forces. It was two days later before a brave soul finally managed to get word to the Lion, but that delay cost the lives of many heroic men and women in the Battle of Terra..."

"I'm sure our viewers will appreciate your frank honesty," Jehanna said quietly. "But it must have been very tempting for you to conceal the truth and keep this dreadful news from the good citizens of the Terran Federation. Surely you must have been concerned that such revelations would damage the credibility of High Command and the office of the Fleet Admiral?"

"For too long, the Terran Federation has been run by evil men consumed by their own petty self-interests," Lynette replied, her hazel eyes flashing with anger. "Before Buckingham's reign of terror, there was Sutton, then before him Carmichael... When I was elevated to Fleet Admiral, I was determined to break from that dishonourable past. I want to run a transparent government that always has the best interests of our citizens at the forefront of its thoughts. Humanity deserves nothing less!"

The dusky reporter gave her a look of earnest gratitude. "I can't tell you what a relief it is to hear that someone with such a strong sense of civic duty is now in a position to improve the lives of ordinary people."

Lynette acknowledged her warm praise with a self-conscious smile. "Protecting Terran citizens has always been my primary concern, but now I'm in a position to actually make significant improvements to their lives too. I have been working with High Command to implement a number of new policies, all designed to upgrade colony infrastructure and-"

Mason snorted in disgust as he paused the TFNN report and tossed the remote on the bed. "She's using my father's death to score cheap political points! Devereux's already won, why did she have to blacken his name?!"

Tom hesitated before answering. From what he'd just seen of Devereux, she seemed quite sincere in her desire to help the Terran citizenry. He could see that airing the Admiralty's dirty laundry in public like this was a very risky move on her part and was a radical departure to Buckingham's previous policy of keeping the public in the dark. Despite Mason's claims to the contrary, Tom felt sure the new Fleet Admiral was being open and honest... and he was impressed by her candour.

However, he could hardly say any of that to his best friend, not while Mason was grieving over the death of his father.

"Ruining your father's reputation was harsh," Tom said solemnly. "Do you think Devereux can actually back up any of those wild claims about him?"

Mason flopped down on the bed and threw his hands up in despair. "C'mon Tom! It's not like she actually needs to prove anything... Now she's started all those rumours, everyone's going to believe the worst of my father no matter what the evidence reveals. This is a stunning PR coup for Devereux; she can dump all High Command's dirty laundry on my father, accusing him of whatever she likes and he can't defend himself!"

"I'm sorry, Mace," Tom said, sitting down beside him and patting him on the shoulder. "The timing for this couldn't have been worse."

"I hate that she did that to him!" Mason blurted out, his voice choking up. "He might not have always been there for me, but I know my dad! He wasn't a monster!"

"I knew him pretty well too; I can't believe all the things Devereux said about him either," Tom quietly agreed.

Mason lurched to his feet and brushed his hand across his eyes. "I've gotta go," he mumbled, striding for the door, visibly upset. "I need some time to think..."

Tom stood up and called out, "Mace, wait!"

But he'd opened the door and was already gone...

With a heavy sigh, Tom closed the door and walked over to his desk. His fingers worked almost reflexively as he opened the comms interface and placed a call to his fiancée. He was sure Anna must have seen the TFNN broadcast by now and he dreaded to think how she was going to react to these revelations about her father. Despite what he'd just said to Mason, he didn't think Devereux was lying about this... after all, she'd been very convincing.

Tom could tell there was going to be considerable fallout from that TFNN broadcast and he felt tremendously relieved that Anna and Mason had changed their surnames to Newmont. Only a few close friends and senior officers knew the truth about Mason here in the Brimorian border fleet. Tom also knew that Anna had kept her father's identity quiet, mostly so that she could succeed on her own merits.

The Terran Federation logo stayed in place, despite the call reaching its destination. After another twenty seconds of waiting with no answer, Tom swiped across to leave a message. "Hey, baby. Mace and I just saw the TFNN interview with Devereux... he's pretty upset. I hope you're okay... love you."

He ended the call then slumped in his chair. As he stared at the winged sword insignia, he couldn't get the vision of Archie Davenport consoling Anna out of his mind...

***

David Gibbons paced nervously in his austere quarters, his mind darting back to the troubled expression on Madison's face when they'd parted company. All he'd tried to do was be supportive and understanding, but something was bothering her and he had no idea what it was. He knew Madison had to deal with pressures of command that were completely beyond his experience. After the Battle of Terra, he'd been promoted to Sergeant Major, but Madison was now a Colonel... five pay grades higher than his non-commissioned rank.

Despite keeping his afternoon free of meetings, she hadn't contacted him to continue their earlier conversation and he was starting to worry. It was very unlike Madison to make a commitment and then break it; she usually prided herself on her sense of duty and responsibility. He couldn't help feeling an ominous sense of foreboding; perhaps she had realised she was miles out of his league and felt embarrassed about the recent changes in their relationship.

Madison had given him a soul-searing kiss right after the Lionesses had healed her arm, leaving him stunned. At the time, he'd been delighted that she might finally see him as something more than just a friend and comrade-in-arms. However, they'd barely had any time together since that magical kiss, and he was starting to wonder if Madison had just been caught up in the excitement of their victory against impossible odds. Alternatively, she might have just been grateful to him for inadvertently having her arm regrown by the Lionesses; after all, Rachel had told him she wanted to repay him for the small part he played in her rescue from Port Medea.

The more rational part of his subconscious reminded David that in the aftermath of the devastation at the Citadel, Madison had simply been too busy to address their budding relationship. As the acting commanding officer of the Sentinel Battalion, she'd been piled high with urgent work to attend to. There were all the corpses to be tagged and recovered for burial, prisoners to be shipped offworld, the Kintark equipment to be salvaged, injured personnel to be catered for, new recruitment to be planned... the list of tasks seemed endless.

A quiet knock on the door scattered his thoughts and he rushed over to open it. Madison was standing outside, darting anxious glances in both directions down the corridor. She looked at him expectantly and said in a worried voice, "Can I come in, David?"

He blinked at her in surprise, then nodded as he opened the door wider and stepped aside. Madison dived inside and his heart sank as he realised she must be feeling embarrassed about being seen entering his quarters. Shutting the door behind him, he watched as she strode into the room and turned to face him. That same troubled expression was shadowing her beautiful face again and at that moment, David would have given anything to be able to read her thoughts.

"I'm really sorry I took so long," Madison apologised, her frown deepening. "General Horton wanted to interview me for the position as Sentinel C.O. without giving me a chance to prepare beforehand. He explained afterwards that he likes to see how candidates perform under pressure."

"And how did the interview go?" David asked, feeling the tension in the room and hating the distance that seemed to have grown between them. Only two days earlier she'd been so relaxed and at ease in his company, but now things felt stilted and awkward.

There was a flicker of pride in her eyes and she gave him a cautious smile. "I got the job. As I've only just been promoted to Colonel, he wants me to prove I've got what it takes over the next 6 months. If I can convince him, then I'll be bumped up to Brigadier."

"That's incredible, congratulations!" David exclaimed, genuinely happy for her. "I told you that you'd keep rising through the ranks."

"Yes, you did..." she replied, her smile fading and expression turning pensive once again.