Three Square Meals Ch. 107

Lynette closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, getting her emotions under control with her matriarch's help. *Actually, no,* she sheepishly replied. *I was very reserved and extremely dedicated to my career, even as a teenager. I'm really not used to dealing with these emotions... they're so strong, they're quite overwhelming.*

A chime echoed around Lynette's bedroom and she jumped in surprise. *He's here!*

Leaping up, she bounded out into the lounge and rushed towards the door.

*Lynette, your disguise!* Alyssa called out in alarm.

Skidding to a halt, the brunette tapped her pocket again, then forced herself to take a deep breath to steady the pounding in her chest. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:00, meaning that her date was right on time. When she'd calmed down enough, she opened the door to find Charles waiting for her just outside.

"Hello, Charles," Lynette said, greeting him with a smile. "You get full marks for punctuality."

"Well, it wouldn't do to keep the boss waiting," he replied, returning her smile. "I'm trying to make a good impression."

Lynette stepped through the door and closed it after her. "You're doing very well so far. So where are you taking me tonight?"

Charles hesitated, then replied, "The Senior Officers' Lounge. Sorry it's not more imaginative, but it should be relatively quiet there and we can talk in peace."

They strolled along the corridor, heading away from the residential deck that housed the quarters for all the senior officers aboard Olympus... and Jehanna. This part of the station was practically deserted, allowing them to speak without worrying about being overheard.

"How did the afternoon meeting with Lina go?" Lynette asked, feigning mild disinterest, while watching Charles like a hawk.

He gave her a broad smile. "Excellent! I can't thank you enough for assigning Lina to Olympus. She originally asked for my advice and I did help her with some useful contacts, but it was fascinating to watch her work; she's like a force of nature!"

Lynette's heart sank in her chest. "Really?"

"Oh, yes, she was amazing!" Charles replied enthusiastically. "Lina seemed to be able to charm even the most truculent of engineering contractors! I've been worrying that refitting all the civilian docking bays into drydocks would vastly outpace the construction of the new trade hub, but she's already had the initial plans reviewed and signed off. Construction is actually due to commence at the end of the week!"

As much as she wanted to loathe the feisty redhead, Lynette couldn't help being impressed. "It sounds like she's ideally suited to the role," she grudgingly admitted.

Charles nodded and gave her a look filled with admiration. "I must confess that I'd always pegged you as just another political officer, but I've seen a whole new side of you these last few days. You're a truly inspiring leader and an excellent judge of character."

She smiled gratefully and acknowledged his compliment with a nod. "I appreciate the praise, but are you sure you're not just buttering up the boss?"

He shook his head and startled her with his sincerity as he replied, "No, I really mean it... You saw John Blake's potential and made him the Lion of the Federation, while the rest of the Admiralty had never even heard of him! Hell, I served with the man for nearly a decade and I had no idea he was capable of doing the things he can do! Not only that, but you realised what a threat Buckingham posed to the Terran Federation and were his fiercest critic all along!" He tipped his peaked hat to her. "Hat's off to you, Fleet Admiral Devereux."

Lynette blushed, taken off-guard by his earnest reply. "Thank you, Charles. Your opinion is important to me... I'm honoured that you see me that way."

His answering smile made her heart skip a beat. "I believe in recognising achievement where I see it and your performance so far has been truly outstanding."

They walked along in comfortable silence for a while and Lynette found herself wracking her brain for something to say. Charles' surprising declaration had left her quite tongue-tied and after such effusive praise, anything she considered saying to him seemed gauche in comparison.

"Here we are," Charles said, gesturing at the double doors, above which was written in an elegant script, "Senior Officers' Lounge".

As they approached the stately doors, they swung open on silent hinges, giving Lynette a broad view of the plush interior. To her surprise there were several Admirals waiting by the bar, their familiar faces lighting up when she walked inside. She immediately spotted Aiden Cartwright, Connor Malone with his wife Aeri, Eleanor Maybridge, and... Lina Van Den Broeck.

"Congratulations!" the group called out, greeting her with broad smiles.

"Sorry for the surprise, I hope you don't mind?" Charles asked hesitantly. "They all wanted to celebrate your appointment as Fleet Admiral."

*Ah, Lynette, you can't catch a break,* Alyssa said with sympathy, trying not to laugh. *I had no idea he'd pull this...*

Lynette tamped down her disappointment and gave him as grateful a smile as she could muster. "This was a lovely idea, Charles. Thank you."

They walked over to the bar and Charles ordered some drinks, while the rest of the Admirals welcomed the guest of honour to the party.

"Thank you everyone," she said, smiling at the group.

Aeri Malone was the first to reply, saying warmly, "It's such a relief having a competent Fleet Admiral in charge at last."

Aiden nodded, his expression shifting into what could almost be described as happiness. "Honestly, Lynette, I've got so used to dealing with Neolithic incompetence at the top, I've been stunned at the transformative effect your appointment has already had."

Conner grinned at Charles and said, "You were a man of your word alright." When he saw Lynette's quizzical look, he continued, "While you were convalescing after your injury, Charles was busy rallying support for you as replacement Fleet Admiral, convincing us you were the perfect choice. We were all working with him to make sure you soundly defeated Caldwell before it became any kind of serious competition."

Lynette looked at Charles in astonishment as he returned from the bar. "Is that true?"

His moustache twitched as he handed her a vodka cranberry. "It was the least I could do. You did get shot attempting to contact John... and trying to protect me from doing the same thing."

"Anthony Kester sends his regards," Eleanor said, with a smile. "He also promised to 'try not to be too much of a smartass'... at least for a little while."

"Aeri convinced me to vote for you," Lina said, her full lips curving into a lopsided grin. "She said it was long past time we had a woman in charge... and I was inclined to agree."

"I really appreciate your support... all of you," Lynette said with gratitude, looking around at their little gathering.

"There were several others that weren't able to attend on such short notice," Charles explained with a rueful frown. "They said they'd get in touch over the next few days."

"You really were busy, weren't you?" Lynette marvelled.

He inclined his head, his expression turning sombre for a moment as they made eye contact. "There was a lot at stake, Lynette. I felt it was my duty to make sure we had the best person in charge... to help the Terran Federation meet any threats the future might bring."

Connor gave him a light punch on the arm. "Hey, no speeches!" Raising his glass, he looked around the group before smiling at Lynette. "To Fleet Admiral Devereux!"

The other Admirals raised their glasses in toast. "Fleet Admiral Devereux!"

***

"Hey, Tom! Grab a drink and join us!" Lieutenant Ivan Horvat called out across the Janus' Officers' Lounge, the friendly greeting echoed by the six other engineering officers at his table.

"I can't, fellas," Tom Walker replied with an amiable grin as he strode towards the bar. "I've already made plans."

"Come on!" Ivan persisted, glancing at the ten-foot wide holo-screen that dominated one wall of the bustling room. "You can't miss this!"

Commercials were currently running, with a muscle-bound handyman drinking a can of diet Tetra-Cola, while several vapid women simpered in awe.

Tom looked at the screen in confusion. "What am I missing? The Zero-G football final was last week... Brutal Deluxe won it easily."

"This is way cooler than that!" Lieutenant Alex Savic insisted. "How on Terra did you miss the commercials?!"

Propping himself up against the bar, Tom smiled as he made eye-contact with Beth who was stacking clean glasses. When she gave him a friendly wave and started making her way over, he turned back to the raucous group of engineers. "Been busy, you know how it is. What're we waiting for?"

"The TFNN interview with the saviour of Unity City!" Ivan blurted out.

Alex nodded eagerly. "That Asian chick is smoking hot!"

That pronouncement was chorused by his drinking companions, along with lots of sage nodding.

"True, but I really want a good look at her mech..." Ivan said, his eyes gleaming at the prospect.

The rest of the engineers immediately started arguing about the technical specifications of the war machine, the group getting animated as the discussions grew heated. Tom was momentarily forgotten as they speculated feverishly on the kind of firepower the mech must have, to be able to knock out Kintark capital ships.

"Boys and their toys," Beth said with a grin, placing a tumbler on the bar beside him, ice cubes clinking merrily in the amber-hued liquor. "How's Mace doing?"

He picked up the glass and took a sip, savouring the smooth burn of the rum. "Better I think... he'll be along in a few minutes, so you can ask him yourself. He's throwing himself into work to help him get through it, but there's not much else you can do, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere."

The brunette studied him for a moment, her perceptive gaze drinking in his expression. "What's up, Tom? You almost sounded bitter, that's not like you..."

Tom met her concerned gaze and he deflated, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm worried about Anna..."

TFNN came on again once the commercials had ended and the Officers' Lounge erupted into cheers.

Beth glanced at the beautiful woman on the holo-screen, then called over to the barman, "Frank, I'm taking a quick break, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing," he said, giving her a distracted wave as he salivated over the dusky TFNN reporter.

Slipping out around through the gap at the side of the bar, Beth led Tom over to a relatively quiet table on the far side of the room. When they sat down, she gave him a sympathetic smile. "Okay, I'm all ears. Is Anna alright?"

Tom took another sip of his rum, then nodded, staring at the glass. "She misses her father... their relationship went downhill after he became Fleet Admiral, but he was still her dad. Anna's handling it as well as can be expected... it's just that there's this guy sniffing around."

"Archie?" Beth supplied, giving him a knowing look.

"How do you know about him?" he blurted out, unable to contain his surprise.

She smiled, her lovely green eyes catching the light. "I was with Mace for six months... we did manage to talk occasionally." Reaching out to place her hand on his, she continued, "He told me you hated the slimy bastard and that Archie's been obsessed with Anna for years."

"Why can't she see that he's bad news?!" he exclaimed in frustration. "I hate the thought of Anna being upset and vulnerable, with Archie fucking Davenport hovering around to comfort her. Meanwhile I'm stuck out here, hundreds of light years away!"

There was an even louder cheer from the bar patrons and Tom took a deep breath to calm himself. He turned to look at the holo-screen to briefly escape from the brunette's penetrating gaze, feeling embarrassed by his sudden outburst of jealousy. The TFNN exclusive had started, with Jehanna Elani standing in some kind of huge hangar bay. She was accompanied by an absolutely stunning Asian girl, who was wearing the distinctive gleaming white armour of a Lioness, her helmet tucked under one arm.

"-for agreeing to be interviewed by me today, Sakura," the reporter said, her voice filled with gratitude.

"It's my pleasure, Jehanna," the Asian girl replied with a warm smile.

Jehanna returned it with a radiant one of her own. "I'd love to discuss the pivotal part that you played in the Battle of Terra, but first, perhaps you could talk us through your role as a Lioness working with Admiral John Blake?"

Sakura nodded, oozing self-assured calm. "I'm the Lion's Chief Security Officer and it's my job to handle internal security aboard the Invictus. I also have the privilege of piloting the UWS-01 Strike Valkyrie Ultra."

"Ah yes, your mech!" Jehanna said enthusiastically, before turning and looking off to their left. "What does UWS stand for?"

The Asian girl smiled. "Ultimate Weapon System."

The camera panned up, revealing an enormous white humanoid machine, plated in the same shimmering white metal as Sakura's battlesuit. The mech stood with a huge sword held in one hand, a heavy-bore cannon slung under the other, and four deadly-looking weapon barrels jutting out over its shoulders. Tom couldn't deny that it was an awe-inspiring piece of military hardware. He expected more raucous cheers from the crowd at the sight of the Valkyrie, but a hushed silence had descended in the bar. When he glanced at Ivan, Alex, and the rest of the engineers, they were all staring at the screen in open-mouthed wonder.

Turning his attention back to Beth, he gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, just wondered what all the fuss was about."

She just nodded and he realised she'd been watching him the whole time.

"Tom..." she began hesitantly, an enigmatic look in her eyes. "You're loyal to a fault; it's one of the things I really admire about you... but so is Anna. She loves you so much it's crazy, she'd never cheat on you."

He swirled his glass around in his hand. "Anna thinks Archie's harmless and that she's got the situation under control... but I don't trust him at all. This is the best shot he's ever had at seducing her and I know that weasel's going to give it everything he's got!"

Beth looked thoughtful for a moment, before her smile turned cunning. "You might not be on Terra, but you've got friends who are..."

Tom blinked in surprise, then a wicked grin spread across his face. "Beth, you're a genius! Mace was an idiot to even think about breaking up with you."

Her expression suddenly shifted, turning guarded. "He didn't..." she said softly.

Looking at her in confusion, Tom said, "But Mace told me it wasn't going anywhere... that's why you two decided to end the relationship."

She locked eyes with him and shook her head. "He proposed... but I turned him down."

Tom gaped at her in astonishment. "Why didn't he say anything?"

"Maybe he was embarrassed?" Beth said, a slight edge to her voice. "I never wanted to hurt Mason, but I didn't feel that way... about him."

As Tom started to reply, there was a burst of deafening cheers from the crowd watching the interview. He smiled at Beth and gave her a helpless shrug, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear him over the whoops. Turning to look at the screen again, his eyes widened as he watched footage from Sakura's helmet camera, obviously taken during the Battle of Terra.

The Valkyrie was barrelling across the hull of a Kintark battleship and Sakura pivoted, firing at the ship with high-explosive slugs from the mech's arm cannon. If the fiery destruction that unleashed wasn't devastating enough, she fired her four shoulder-mounted lasers at a second battleship, spraying the Kintark vessel with bright blue beams. The storm of laser pulses slashed huge furrows through the shimmering green armour, eventually piercing the Power Core and obliterating the capital ship in a colossal explosion.

"God damn..." Tom muttered under his breath, awed by the firepower on display.

The shot switched back to the Mech Bay and Jehanna looked sombre as she said quietly, "I've reviewed all the footage from the battle and I know you personally appealed to Admiral Blake for permission to engage that Praetorian fleet. It was just you and your Valkyrie against a dozen elite Kintark battleships... you were asking to be sent on a suicide mission!"

Sakura looked away for a second, a shadow crossing her beautiful face. "Millions of people were being mercilessly bombarded in Unity City. I had to do something... I couldn't leave them to die." When she met Jehanna's gaze again, there was a steely glint in her brown eyes. "Those civilians were innocents... the Kintark needed to face Justice for the hundreds-of-thousands they killed."

"And miraculously, you managed to save Unity City from annihilation," Jehanna said, her voice full of respect. "At my count, you destroyed a dozen battleships and 96 Kintark fighters..."

"I might have had a bit of assistance on the last battleship," Sakura said with a self-deprecating smile.

Jehanna reached out and clasped her hand. "It's a genuine honour to shake the hand of a true hero... and a modest one at that. On behalf of the millions you saved that day, thank you, Sakura."

The Asian girl bowed to her, suddenly appearing shy. "It's an honour to serve."

The camera flicked back to the studio, where Jehanna was sitting behind the TFNN newsdesk. "And there we have it, the Saviour of Unity City, the first in our series of exclusive interviews with the Lion and his Lionesses..."

Beth gently squeezed Tom's hand. "Mace is here," she said in a hushed voice.

He turned to look over at the doorway and waved at his friend to let him know where he was sitting. Mason nodded when he made eye-contact with Tom, then started striding over to his table.

"Thanks for the good advice, Beth," Tom said, focusing on the brunette again. "I really appreciate it."

"Any time," she said, giving him a warm smile as she rose from her seat.

***

Warm yellow light filtered through the wooden shutters, the soft glow waking Maria Fernandez from her slumbers. She instinctively reached for her husband on the right side of the bed, then felt a pang of sadness as she remembered that he was far away from their home on Jericho. Thoughts of Jack reminded her of their last conversation and she couldn't help worrying about the things he'd been attempting to hide from her.

Maria could read her husband like a book and she could tell he was eating himself up with guilt for obeying orders and abandoning the Kirrix border. The invasion footage from the Outer Rim had been harrowing, with scenes of terrified colonists fighting for their very lives against the monstrous aliens. She knew that Jack must have seen it all as well and she longed to be at his side, comforting and reassuring him that he had no other choice.

"Oh, Jack... I warned you this would happen," she thought to herself with a melancholy sigh. "You were always too noble for the military... I knew you'd eventually be caught between your sense of duty and your principles." She stroked his side of the bed, wishing he was home.

Throwing back the covers, she decided to get an early start; if she stayed in bed, she'd only spend her time yearning for her husband. Maria got up and braced herself for the twinges in her leg that had greeted her like a malevolent alarm clock for the last two decades. When she didn't even feel the slightest flicker of pain, she beamed with delight, overwhelmed with gratitude to Rachel for healing her old leg injury.

Walking into the bathroom she luxuriated in a nice hot shower, taking her time cleaning herself. As she soaped up her stomach, she couldn't help remembering Calara brazenly showing off her hugely rounded belly, stuffed full of John's cum. She'd been shocked to the core to see her daughter that way, just as the naughty girl had intended, Calara finally getting her own back on Maria after years of teasing. However, it was Alyssa's playful offer to have John heal her that way, which had become a recurring fantasy of the sensual Latina.