Three Square Meals Ch. 123

Looking expectantly at Chapman, she continued, "Is there anyone else? Surely you aren't going to claim one of the minor empires poses any form of threat?"

Chapman glared back at her. "No... of course not."

"So to summarise, we've established that the Brimorian Enclave is our only remaining hostile neighbour and they will be neutralised in a matter of weeks. You also conceded that your division will offer us no significant new technology in the near future... at a time when the Federation is in desperate need of a financial windfall. We require immediate funding for Outer Rim infrastructure to placate the outraged colonists and pre-empt a rebellion. We also need to fund a colony rush in ceded Kintark territory to capitalise on a huge influx of new resources. Considering the massive benefits to be gained and the minimal associated risks, can I now assume you will disband R&D as I requested two weeks ago?" she asked him in a reasonable tone.

"I strongly disagree with this decision, Lynette," he replied petulantly. "New scientific breakthroughs are a cornerstone of our ability to maintain military parity with hostile alien forces..."

"You mean like the raft of new technologies gifted to us by the Lion?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "I believe we made a greater gain in potential fleet force projection in a single day, than the R&D division has been able to provide in the last century?"

"You can't hang our hopes for technological innovations on handouts!" he snarled. "The very idea is preposterous!"

She shook her head as she marvelled at his boneheaded obstinance. "Admiral... are you refusing to obey my direct orders to disband your division?"

"Yes!" he finally snapped. "You're goddamn right I am!"

Rising to his feet, he turned to look at the rest of the admirals who were staring at him in shock.

"You can't be willing to sit there and listen to this bullshit?!" he shouted incredulously. "She's out of her fucking mind! Ending all R&D... I've never heard anything more ludicrous! We need to get rid of her asap... she's clearly cracked under the strain!"

Lynette ignored his outburst and stood straight-backed behind the podium. "You've all witnessed the admiral's gross insubordination and refusal to obey a direct order by the serving Fleet Admiral. By Terran Federation military justice code 00001, I am charging Admiral Hugo Chapman with treason. Are any of you unwilling to be notarised as a witness to his crimes?"

The silence was deafening, with not a single man or woman moving so much as a muscle.

Chapman went pale, his eyes widening in fright. "Now... just hold on a minute..."

Turning to the armed and armoured guards by the door, Lynette said curtly, "Staff Sergeant Moorland, take the admiral into custody and remove him from this chamber."

"Yes, ma'am," the burly soldier replied, nodding to his team who now trained their weapons on the bespectacled admiral.

Chapman lurched away from his seat and stumbled in the aisle. "No... y-you can't be serious!" he stammered, looking at Lynette in disbelief.

"Sir, you're under arrest," the Sergeant said curtly, drawing his heavy pistol and approaching the admiral. "Raise your hands and make no sudden movements."

Eyes wide with fear, Chapman made a sudden lunge for his sidearm, followed an instant later by the booming retort of a 10mm round. He cried out in pain as the Sergeant shot him in the shoulder, the senior officer's arm falling limp as the pistol shot made an ugly wound, spraying blood across the back wall. Chapman staggered backwards before tripping over a step behind him, then tried to scrabble away from the rapidly closing soldier. Staff Sergeant Moorland quickly disarmed the terrified admiral, then grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and dragged him from the room. Chapman's desperate pleas could be heard for another few seconds, then the door slid shut, silencing his cries.

Lynette sighed and looked at the stunned members of High Command with regret. "Please accept my apologies for that unfortunate business. I am open to well-reasoned arguments should you disagree with me on any matter of policy, but I will not stand for gross dereliction of duty or openly flaunting my authority as Fleet Admiral. If any of you are now unwilling to serve as a member of High Command, I will not penalise you for resigning from this body; you may continue to serve in the Admiralty with no adverse repercussions to your career."

Admiral Caldwell cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Chapman was openly advocating treason, Fleet Admiral. He left you with no choice."

She nodded to him in gratitude, then looked at the images of Admirals Alexander Morgan and Anthony Kester. "The advanced fleet under Dacres should arrive at the Callopean Shoals by 3:00 am. The dreadnought Heimdall will be your new command ship, Alex."

"Who are you assigning as commander of the border forces?" Admiral Morgan asked quietly.

Her eyes flicked to the second holographic image. "Anthony has seniority by virtue of more battlefield experience. However, I expect your full and open cooperation with each other; the present situation with the Brimorians is too precarious for any pissing contests."

Admiral Kester smiled wryly. "I think you can count on us to keep it zipped up, Lynette. My fleet is closing on the Taxarran Straits, so I should rendezvous with Morgan's fleet in approximately 56 hours."

"Very good," she said, feeling a flood of relief. Lynette then looked around the room. "Does anyone else have anything else they'd like to raise before we end the meeting?" Her query was met with polite silence, so she pressed on, "I'd like to reconvene at 2:00 pm tomorrow to review the current state of readiness of our border fleets. We need to discuss how quickly we can send additional forces to reinforce the Brimorian and new Kintark borders, so I'd like an accurate status report for all the fleets involved in the Battle of Terra. Alright, thank you everyone, you're dismissed."

The assembled admirals rose from their chairs and started to file from the room. Lynette could hear the murmur of quiet conversation as the senior officers departed, each of them eyeing the bloodstained trail leading through the foyer beyond.

Charles approached the podium, a troubled look in his eyes. "Lynette... can I have a word?"

A chime from her holo-watch interrupted him and she glanced at the offending device with a frown. Her expression shifted as she saw the message, then Lynette raised a finger to her fiancé. "Could you just give me one minute please, Charles?"

"Of course," he agreed, stepping away to give her some privacy and joining several of the admirals who had yet to leave the meeting chamber.

Lynette brought up the holo-interface and her hazel eyes flicked through the report. Nodding with satisfaction, she typed out a quick series of orders on the floating keypad, then sent out the update and closed the holographic communication system. When she was finished, she looked up and saw that Admiral Van Den Broeck was now alone with Charles, a wicked gleam in the redhead's eyes as she spoke quietly with him.

Walking over to the pair, Lynette noted her fiancé's flustered appearance. "Are you waiting to speak with me, Lina?" she asked the other woman.

"I was actually just chatting to Charlie," the redhead said with a languid smile. "I wanted to confirm his earnest young adjutant's request that Charlie and I meet for lunch tomorrow..."

"Well, Charles?" Lynette asked, glancing at him and raising an eyebrow.

"I... err... I was just replying to the Admiral's dinner invitation... I thought lunch would be more appropriate than dinner..."

"Is that confirmation enough for you, Lina?" Lynette asked the amused redhead. "Or did you have your heart set on conducting your... business... over an evening meal?"

Admiral Van Den Broeck studied the brunette in fascination, her curiosity piqued by Lynette's confident reply. "I think lunch will be just fine." She smiled at Charles and added, "See you tomorrow, Charlie. Goodnight, Fleet Admiral."

"Goodnight," Charles replied awkwardly, watching her turn and strut away before hurriedly switching his attention to his fiancée.

Lynette watched the redhead leave, with Lina studiously avoiding looking at the trail of blood as she passed through the foyer.

Left alone in the auditorium with Charles, Lynette gave him a cautious smile. "We have a few things to discuss. Shall we wait until we return to my quarters?"

"I think that might be for the best," he replied, brushing his forefinger and thumb across both sides of his moustache.

They left the chamber and Lynette nodded to Staff Sergeant Moorland, who saluted her as they passed. The return journey to the senior officer's quarters was conducted in silence, with Charles darting pensive glances at his fiancée. Lynette opened the door to her rooms and strode inside, then waited until the door had closed behind Charles before she removed her hand and deactivated her holo-disguise.

"So... shall we discuss Lina first, or the unpleasant events with Admiral Chapman?" Lynette asked, unpinning her rich chestnut hair and letting it tumble down around her shoulders.

Charles tossed his hat onto the sofa and unbuttoned his tie, his expression conflicted. "Lynette... there's nothing going on between me and Lina."

"I know... but are you attracted to her?" she asked, with a coy smile.

"She's not in your league, darling," he replied, his tone cautious.

"That's not a no..."

He shook his head in exasperation. "Lina was asking me about our engagement; that's why she wanted to meet for dinner. She knows I was interested in your Marie alter-ego, so for me to suddenly be engaged to you 24 hours later is raising all sorts of questions. We need to come up with a plausible story for why I proposed to you rather than your niece."

Unbuttoning her jacket, Lynette nodded. "Yes, you're right... we probably should have thought of that beforehand."

"It's only Lina who was close enough to the situation for these kinds of questions to arise... oh and Jehanna of course, but she already knows the truth."

"Okay, well we can think up something and you can tell Lina all about our lightning romance during lunch tomorrow," she replied, a hint of a smile on her face again. "Now... did you want to discuss the High Command meeting?"

Charles studied her for a moment, then walked across the lounge to the drinks cabinet. "I think you could have handled the confrontation with Chapman better. Charging him with treason was unnecessary."

Lynette paused, surprised by his disapproving tone. "He refused a direct order, Charles... you heard him!"

Pouring himself a tumbler of whisky, Charles looked at her quizzically. When she shook her head, he shrugged and resealed the bottle. "No one in High Command would disagree that you were perfectly within your rights to order his arrest, not after that outburst... but was it really necessary to push him that far?"

"I didn't push him... he'd been ignoring my orders for weeks!" she protested.

Charles studied her beautiful face. "You could have discussed this with him privately beforehand. There was no reason to let it escalate so publicly... unless you specifically wanted to bait him until he snapped. Were you intending to make an example of him all along, Lynette?"

She flushed, feeling uncomfortable under his disapproving gaze. "I'm not a tyrant, Charles. I've got the best interests of humanity at heart... but Chapman was being obstructive and deliberately undermining my authority. You've been in command for a long time, you know how detrimental that can be."

He took a long sip of his drink. "Hugo was completely out of line and needed to be removed from the Admiralty for his insubordination... but executing him for treason?" Charles was quiet for a long moment."You actually reminded me of someone else this evening."

"Who?" Lynette asked, toying nervously with the buttons on her jacket.

"I think you know who..." he replied, running his finger across his moustache.

***

Alyssa lay sprawled beside Calara, perspiration glistening off their nubile bodies as they panted for breath.

"That was... energetic..." Calara said with a disbelieving laugh.

"Just had to work out some frustrations on your hot bod," the blonde next to her replied, turning to gaze at the brunette.

Inhaling deeply, the Latina let out her breath in a contented sigh. "Don't get me wrong... I'm certainly not complaining." She rolled onto her side to face her lover. "Is this about John? I thought you said that Sparks had managed to perk him up again?"

"She did... and Helene worked her magic on him too." Alyssa reached out to idly trace her hand along Calara's supple flesh, the flawless olive skin smooth and soft beneath her fingertips. "He's still got a lot on his mind though... and I hate it when he bottles everything up like that. He'll bend over backwards to help us feel better, but when he's upset about something, he tries to keep it all to himself."

"My dad and brothers are exactly the same," Calara said with a wistful smile. "My dad opens up to my mom, but only when she really pushes him."

"It's just horrible knowing that he's suffering..." Alyssa said despondently.

Calara looked into those enchanting cerulean eyes. "John's dealing with an awful lot at the moment. Finding out there are dozens more Progenitors must have been a terrible shock, especially as he now has to plan and execute a galactic war against them. Just that alone would have been hard enough, but after everything that happened with his parents... and then Faye..." Calara paused when she saw the flicker of emotion cross the blonde's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." the blonde said defensively.

Raising an eyebrow, Calara shook her head. "No, that was definitely something. You looked... guilty?"

Alyssa deflated and had trouble meeting her girlfriend's look of concern. "Can we just drop it? You'll think I'm a real bitch..."

"I'd never think that," the brunette said with a loving smile. "Now, tell me what's troubling you."

The blonde sighed and rolled onto her back as she stared up at the ceiling. "You're right... I do feel guilty about Faye. I miss her... but her death isn't affecting me as badly as I thought it would," she admitted, flicking a worried glance at Calara. "I tried my best to treat her like the rest of you... but without the telepathic connection our relationship wasn't the same. I think part of me never accepted her as one of the girls... not really."

Calara looked at her in surprise. "I had no idea you felt that way!"

"Even after we made her a body, Faye never felt real to me... not like the rest of you do," Alyssa confessed, turning to face her girlfriend. "When you look at me, I can feel the love pouring off you. You've shared everything with me... I know all your fondest hopes, your wildest dreams. Really knowing what a wonderful person you are made me fall in love with you all the more... and makes me care deeply about all the girls too."

Pausing for a moment, the Latina studied her curiously. "I know you have a special bond with all the women that John's intimately connected to, but how do you feel about everyone else?"

Alyssa looked away into the distance. "They're just... not us."

"Even my family?" Calara asked, looking hurt.

"That's different," Alyssa insisted, propping herself up on an elbow as she looked down at her girlfriend. "I know how much they mean to you, so I'd do anything to keep them safe."

"But you just said that Faye didn't feel real to you... Do you feel the same way about my brothers... or my parents?" the brunette pressed, looking perturbed.

"No, that's not what I'm saying!" the blonde protested, frowning in frustration. "All of us girls have an incredibly intimate connection. Sensing all your thoughts and emotions adds so much depth and context to everything you say or do... and that makes all the difference in the world."

Calara slowly nodded her understanding. "I suppose when you're used to sharing that with all of us, it must be jarring when you're around someone who you don't have that telepathic connection with. I must admit, I love being able to know what you're thinking and feeling... it must be wonderful for you to experience that with John and the rest of the girls too."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean," Alyssa said, looking relieved. "And as much as I loved Faye for the sweet girl she was, she was always... different... from the rest of you."

"And with her death hitting John, Dana, and Irillith so hard, you feel guilty for not grieving for her in the same way?" Calara asked perceptively.

The blonde nodded, nibbling at her lower lip. "Don't get me wrong, losing Faye was terribly sad... but it's just not the same. If it had been any of the rest of you, I'd be utterly devastated." There was a flicker of apprehension in her eyes as she continued, "And... it also got me thinking. You know what Jessica was like, she didn't give a shit about anyone except Rahn'hagon..."

"Until you intervened," the brunette interjected, wiggling her fingers in an imitation of her girlfriend using psychic powers.

Alyssa looked nervous. "Did Rachel tell you? Please don't say anything to John, I'm not sure how he'll react."

Calara gave her a reassuring smile. "It was obvious to me, but only because I know you so well. You told us how badly John's meeting with his mother had gone and I saw how disappointed he was afterwards. When Jessica started asking us all those questions about her son, she wasn't acting with the casual indifference you described; she looked horrified that she'd abandoned John and her parents." She gave the blonde a fierce hug. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist intervening when John was so upset... and I was proud of you for trying to help him reconcile with his mother."

"Thank you," Alyssa said, pulling back to smile affectionately at her girlfriend. Her tender expression turned pensive as she continued, "But you didn't let me finish..."

"Jessica didn't give a shit about anyone but Rahn'hagon..." Calara prompted her. "Okay, go on..."

"Am I ending up the same way?" the blonde asked, an ambivalent expression on her face.

The Latina blinked in surprise. "No, of course not! John's nothing like his father! Even before he changed our psychic connection with him, he never cut us off from our friends and family."

Alyssa shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I adore John and all of you girls... but after we lost Faye it got me thinking. Tashana incinerated thousands of thralls and Sakura slaughtered hundreds more... all on my orders. I didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse about ordering their deaths then, and I still don't feel any regrets now. The Larathyran thralls were threatening us and working for a rival Progenitor, so wiping them out just felt... right."

Calara cupped Alyssa's face and gently brushed a thumb over her cheek. "This definitely sounds like a side-effect of the Change, probably related to you being John's matriarch. You should talk to him about it tomorrow."

"Should I?" Alyssa asked, her brow furrowing. "We're about to go to war with dozens of Progenitors and millions of thralls. I know I'm not a strategic expert like you, but what would be more effective... A Matriarch worried about the enemy's welfare, or a Matriarch that will stop at nothing to ensure victory for her Progenitor?"

The Latina hesitated, a sudden flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"Exactly," Alyssa murmured, before glancing towards the door and flicking her fingers at the button to open it. "Come in!"

Helene padded inside, a dreamy smile on her face as she cradled her hugely swollen belly. "Hello, Calara. Hello, Alyssa. Thank you for letting me comfort John tonight."