Three Square Meals Ch. 124

Edraele smiled at her sympathetically, trying to remember what it was like to be so overwhelmed by the passionate emotions of youth. "Kali... can I let you in on a little secret?"

Kali tilted her head up and brushed away the tears running down her cheek. "What is it?" she asked in a tremulous voice.

"I'm very grateful to you for making that decision," the Maliri Queen said gently.

Blinking at her in astonishment, Kali stuttered, "B-but why?!"

Edraele slid off the bench, then knelt in front of it so that she could look up into her eyes. "Do you remember how happy John was after being with the Young Matriarchs? That look of wonder at the thought of becoming a father?"

Nodding forlornly, Kali replied, "I'll never forget it. Even then I was having second thoughts and wishing that he was looking at me that way too. Now that might never happen..."

Shaking her head, Edraele placed her hand on Kali's slender stomach. "When John returns to us, conceiving a child with you will be the absolute highlight of his visit. You have no idea how difficult it was for him to resist the urge to make you pregnant last time... and after all the terrible things that have just happened to him, I desperately want him to have that to look forward to."

"Really?" Kali asked in astonishment.

The Maliri Queen smiled as she nodded. "Alyssa and I spent quite some time deciding which of the Terran girls to pair each of the Young Matriarchs with. We decided that you and Dana would be a good match, because you have that same charming youthful exuberance. John loves all the women aboard the Invictus very much, but he's particularly fond of that lovely girl. They both long to start a family together, but John still needs Dana to fight at his side and he won't put an unborn child at risk in combat."

Kali gaped at her in shock. "So I'm a... proxy... for Dana?"

"John cares deeply for you in your own right, but you do remind him of her, which makes your connection to him so much more powerful."

"Dana's so kind and wonderful; I've seen with my own eyes just how much he adores her!" Kali exclaimed, swooning at the thought.

"Now, do you still have doubts about John wanting to get you pregnant?" Edraele asked with a coy smile, gently stroking the young woman's tummy.

Kali giggled and shook her head. "No, not now!"

"Good, because I'm going to need to ask you for a special favour," the Maliri Queen said earnestly.

Startled by her sombre tone, Kali gazed into Edraele's purple eyes and nodded. "I'll do anything in my power to help you."

Edraele gave her a grateful smile, then continued, "John's confidence has been badly shaken by the meeting with his parents. When the two of you make love, I know he's going to put his heart and soul into making it the most incredible experience of your life. As hard as it's going to be, floating on a cloud of ecstasy, I want you to try your best to make it very special for him too. I don't want John to be worrying about the kind of father he might be and the best way of making him forget all that is to get him to lose himself in you completely. He really needs this, Kali... do you think you can do that for me?"

Kali was holding her breath, her bright eyes flaring with arousal. "Oh, I will, Edraele!" she gushed, looking absolutely thrilled. "I'll do whatever I can to make everything perfect for John!"

"You're such a good girl, I knew I could count on you," Edraele said, sitting back on her haunches and sighing with relief.

Giggling with glee Kali threw herself into her matriarch's arms, sending them both tumbling to the soft grass. "I love you so much, Edraele! Thank you!"

Smiling with satisfaction to see her so happy, Edraele held the joyful young woman close. "I love you too, Kali."

***

It was another glorious day on the Gaia-class world, rays of sunlight beaming through openings in the fluffy white cloudbanks and bathing the lush fields in their gentle warmth. Far away in the distance, a broad range of mountain tops were swathed in pristine snow, as if a dazzling white blanket had been draped over the horizon. The contrast between the lovely summer scene and the wintery background was quite striking, all adding to the exceptional natural beauty of the planet Jericho.

Major Vihaan Khatri was oblivious to the vista outside, sitting with his hand-picked squad in the back of an Internal Security Division APC. The hover-vehicle was one of a pair, the sturdy black transports held aloft by whirring anti-gravity cyclics as they raced along the skylane, leaving the starport behind. His eyes were locked on the holo-screen before him, rereading the unsanctioned mission briefing from his uncle.

"This is our target, gentlemen," he declared, touching a button on the interface to upload the image to his team. "I want visual confirmation that she's been eliminated."

The twelve men accompanying him were silent as they gazed at the HUD displayed in their smartwired goggles. They studied the olive-skinned brunette, committing her attractive face to memory. An icon at the edge of the HUD flashed, indicating the upload of additional images. The ISD troops then cycled through the floor plans of a sprawling ranch-house, making note of stairways and all possible escape routes.

"Strike team Alpha will hit the property from the rear, while strike team Beta will approach via the street. I've marked the points of entry and want a synchronised assault from both sides."

Vihaan remembered the shame in his uncle's eyes when Arjun announced his retirement to the family. No reason had been given despite the unspoken question on everybody's lips, but nobody left the Admiralty by choice, not in their late-forties. Arjun had been the golden boy of the Khatri clan, rising to the pinnacle of power within the Terran Federation, that glory then reflected on all his family members by their community. Fleet Admiral Devereux forcing Arjun Khatri to retire from the admiralty had been a bitter blow against his family's honour, one that Vihaan was determined to help his uncle see avenged.

"Local law enforcement has been lured away by a bomb threat to a school, so we have at least four minutes before we can expect a response. If they attempt to interfere, standard rules of engagement apply."

The grim-faced operatives checked their assault rifles, loading magazines and holding the weapons at the ready. The major glanced around at his team, receiving nods of confirmation from each of them. Turning away, he ducked under the snaking magazine feeds for the roof cupola and approached the driver.

"How long?" Vihaan asked, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the suburban sprawl of luxury houses ahead.

The driver took the off lane, the APC cruising between the rows of floating markers as they left the main skyway. He glanced at the nav system and grunted, "Seven minutes."

***

Admiral Charles Harris strode down one of Olympus' broad corridors, leaving the central hub behind as he followed glowing signs pointing to the Galleria. Located in Arm Five of the octopus-like shipyard, the commercial district housed an elaborate shopping complex, as well as a multitude of different restaurants catering to all Terran tastes. On the advice of the woman he was about to meet, a couple of new restaurants offering alien cuisine had been added to the mix, with the Ashanath eatery proving surprisingly popular.

He passed tables full of chattering young women and slightly-less enthusiastic young men, who were eating the fungi-based dishes at "Shades of Grey". Charles' moustache twitched with amusement at the lengths those men would go to, just to impress a pretty girl. The thought of eating those bland mushrooms turned his stomach, but the fare there was perfect for the latest health-fad extolling the virtues of a meat-free diet. His condescending smile wavered when he realised that if Lynette asked him to, he would undoubtedly end up joining them in dejectedly munching on lichen.

In the boulevard outside the restaurant was a glowing holographic map and he glanced at it to check the route to his destination. Charles noticed the time built into the floating holo-display and cursed when he saw that it was 11:53 am, realising that he had to hurry or he'd be late. The morning had been back-to-back with meetings and the last one with Vice Admiral Ming to review defensive upgrades for Olympus had overrun. Hurrying onwards at a brisk pace, he weaved past merchants and military personnel who were out looking for an appetising place to eat lunch.

As he rode up in a glass-panelled elevator to the upper level, Charles looked out over the busy plaza at the centre of the commercial district. He spotted squads of marines wearing bulky combat armour making their way through the crowds and inwardly thanked Colonel Fiske for taking the initiative to expand the new security arrangements they'd discussed earlier that morning. After speaking with Henry Voss, Charles had scheduled an emergency meeting with the Chief of Security to discuss those concerns. Fiske had readily agreed to increase the number of personnel assigned to protect Lynette and the Admiralty, but was deeply sceptical about the reports of a mysterious special forces team, finding no record of their arrival.

Stepping out onto the upper gallery, Charles spotted Lina Van Den Broeck already waiting for him outside "El Pecado". Meeting at the Mexican restaurant had been her idea, the name suitably appropriate for the kind of flirtatious conversations the striking redhead typically teased him with. She spotted Charles as he approached, but instead of being greeted with one of her beaming smiles, Lina gave him a subdued wave.

"I reserved a table," she said without preamble, turning on her heel and entering the restaurant.

Startled by her brusque manner, Charles followed her inside the stucco-walled bistro, the preponderance of wooden furniture reminding him of a moody western saloon. An attentive waiter guided them to their table in a secluded corner at the back, his eyes lingering over Lina's curves that her uniform was incapable of concealing. When the server realised Charles had caught him ogling the redhead, he at least had the courtesy to give the admiral an apologetic shrug as he left them with their menus.

Sliding into the seat opposite Lina, Charles finally made eye contact with her, and there was no escaping the uncomfortable tension in the air. He was suddenly reminded of the reason behind their meeting, and his heart began to pound in his chest as he wondered what the hell he was going to say to the attractive woman. Lynette had put the ball firmly in his court as to how he chose to explain their engagement, giving him the option of telling Lina the truth about his fiancée's status as a secret Lioness.

He couldn't even imagine using that as a prelude to some kind of elaborate seduction, especially now that the redhead had seemingly lost all interest in flirting with him. With that option firmly removed from the table, he was left with no choice but to fabricate some plausible explanation for his sudden engagement... one which he'd had no time to prepare. Lina herself seemed distracted and nervous, a tension in her alluring green eyes. Charles could only imagine that she'd come to her senses and was going to tell him that she wanted to maintain a professional distance from now on.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Lina, I know you wanted to talk about my engagement to Lynette, but I can see that something's troubling you."

She nodded, nibbling pensively at her lower lip. "You're right... there is."

Charles gave her an understanding look. "I've really enjoyed your company recently, but I-"

"I'm scared!" Lina blurted out, interrupting him.

"What?" he replied, shocked by her unexpected outburst. "I never meant to scare you..."

She was about to respond when the floor lurched beneath their feet, the shaking violent enough to knock the pitcher of water off the table where it smashed on the floor. The tremors didn't stop and were followed a split-second later by a dull boom... then another... and finally a third.

"What in the damn hell was that?!" Charles exclaimed in alarm, clinging onto the table to avoid being thrown from his seat.

"The Brimorians are attacking!" Lina gasped, her face stricken with terror.

***

The attractive brunette swallowed, then let out a blissful sigh.

"You were right, Maria. That farm shop is amazing!" Faith marvelled, looking down at the apple in her hand with a big bite taken out of its rosy red skin. "I've never tasted fruit this fresh before."

Maria took the turn, guiding the red hovercar into her street. She smiled affectionately at her younger companion. "When we get home, I'll show you how to bake an apple and cinnamon pie that's to die for. Jack swears he married me for my body, but I'm sure it was my cooking that got him down on one knee."

Faith laughed and shook her head. "I'd love to meet him sometime. When's he back home next?" she asked, before taking another bite of the apple.

"That wasn't in your briefing?" the Latina teased her, following the wide boulevard past rows of large well-kept houses.

The protection officer frowned and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Maria. It must be awful having me intrude in your life like this. I didn't mean to pry, I was just enjoying the conversation."

Maria slowed the car as she pulled into her driveway and tapped the button on the steering wheel to open the garage doors. "I honestly didn't intend for that to sound resentful; I've really been enjoying your company," she said, reaching over to squeeze the young woman's hand. "Jack won't be home for another three months... it gets so lonely here without him."

Faith returned the squeeze in a gesture of sympathy, then glanced over the neat hedgerow to the house next door. Her fake husband was standing at the window drinking a cup of coffee and Joel greeted his pretend wife with a warm smile and a friendly wave. She returned his smile and waved back just using her fingertips, the pre-arranged signal that no one had followed them.

Driving into the garage, Maria parked the car and turned off the engine, the cyclics powering down as the hover-vehicle lowered gently to the ground. She climbed out, then gathered the bags full of fresh meat and vegetables from the back seat. "It's wonderful to see a young couple in love. I remember when Jack and I were in our honeymoon phase."

Rolling her eyes at the teasing, Faith waited for the garage doors to close, not wanting to be overheard by anyone outside. "Alright... alright... I know we did a terrible job trying to fool you with our undercover roles, you don't have to rub it in."

"I wasn't rubbing anything in," Maria said archly, a twinkle in her brown eyes. "I was just curious how long you've been in love with Commander Sharp?"

"Maria!" Faith hissed, a look of pure panic on her face.

"Relax," the Latina replied, sashaying towards the side door that led into the house. "You told me yourself you didn't put any surveillance in the garage, which means Joel can't hear us in here. So I take it he doesn't know you have feelings for him?"

Faith groaned and rubbed a hand across her face. "God... I can't keep anything secret from you." She let out a weary sigh of resignation. "No... he hasn't got a clue."

Maria paused by the door and gave the brunette a look of sympathy. "Men can be a bit oblivious at times... but then again, so can women."

The undercover operative suddenly froze, her eyes going wide. "Wait... you actually think he likes me?!"

"He's got quite the soft spot for you, dear. It's lovely seeing him giving you those lingering glances when he thinks you aren't looking."

"Really?" Faith asked, her face lighting up with joy. Just as quickly, a shadow passed over her features and her shoulders slumped. "Oh, this is a disaster! It's going to be torture working with him now."

Maria gave her a conspiratorial smile. "Only if you don't do something about it. Now, could you grab the bag of fruit from the back seat please? I've got my hands full here."

"But he's my commanding officer," Faith protested gloomily, retrieving the bag. "Sexual harassment regulations forbid him from starting a relationship with me."

"That just means you'll have to seduce him instead," Maria said with a naughty twinkle in her eyes. "Jack outranked me, but that didn't stop me from enticing him into bed. It actually made it even more exciting knowing we were flaunting regulations. Getting together was such a thrill!"

Faith couldn't help giggling as she walked over to join her friend. "You're so bad, Maria."

"How about we go out for coffee this afternoon?" the Latina suggested enthusiastically. "We'll be away from the cameras and we can have a nice long talk about you and Joel."

The young woman gave her a wistful smile. "I'm so glad I took this assignment. I didn't realise how much I've missed having a girlfriend to chat with."

"It must be hard working undercover for months at a time," Maria said, opening the door and entering her kitchen.

Faith put her bag on the counter and considered that for a moment. "I suppose I just got used to it. Once you've broken those initial ties with friends and family, it becomes easier to immerse yourself in your assignment."

Maria placed her bags next to Faith's, then turned to her friend. "It might make it easier, but that sounds like a very lonely life to me."

The brunette was about to protest, but she was disarmed by the look of gentle compassion in the Latina's eyes. "It can be..." she ruefully admitted, her voice quiet and sad.

Wrapping her up in a maternal embrace, Maria stroked her back, feeling Faith tremble as she struggled with long-suppressed emotions.

Behind them, one of the over-packed bags slowly toppled over, spilling apples across the counter. They rolled along the granite worktops then tumbled to the kitchen floor.

"Maria! The bags!" Faith exclaimed, brushing at her eyes.

The two women parted and ducked down to pick up the wayward fruit. There was a sharp crack, followed by a couple of dull thuds, the crouching pair sprayed by plaster from the bullet holes in the wall above their heads. They exchanged a shocked glance as glass tinkled down into the sink from the shattered window. Faith opened her mouth to blurt out a warning, but whatever she said was drowned out by a deafening boom that seemed to shake the foundations of the house.

***

Jehanna steadied herself against the back of the sofa, feeling tremors under her feet from the aftershocks of blasts that had rocked the orbital shipyard. She stared wide-eyed at her companion, who was already springing into action. Lynette made a hurried call via the comms interface, but the winged sword icon glitched into a burst of pixels, the call not getting through.

"Looks like comms are down," Lynette said, darting a worried look at the reporter.

"Was it an accident or is Olympus under attack?" Jehanna asked, her journalistic curiosity overriding her fear.

"I don't know, but I'm not willing to take any chances," the Fleet Admiral replied, reaching for her peaked hat. "I need to check in with security and find out exactly what's happening."

They both hurried to the door, doing a quick check to make sure they had all the equipment that Dana had provided them. They each tapped their belt buckle, activating their personal shields and surrounding themselves in a protective bubble. A glance in the mirror confirmed that Lynette's holo-disguise was active, then she opened the door and left her quarters with Jehanna following right behind. Rushing out into the corridor, they almost ran right into Colonel Fiske who was accompanied by a large squad of security personnel.

"Colonel Fiske!" Lynette exclaimed in surprise. "How did you get here so fast?"