Three Square Meals Ch. 124

"Me?!" Jehanna gasped, looking shocked.

Trembling with the pain, the ISD operative stared apprehensively at the Fleet Admiral. "You were scheduled to be in a High Command meeting. We had no idea you were here!"

Lynette realised that the Admiralty scheduler hadn't been updated after the emergency meeting with High Command to discuss the Brimorian's surprise attack.

"How many other teams?" she demanded sharply. "Who else are they targeting?"

He shook his head. "I don't know!"

Lynette glared at him, her finger tensing on the trigger.

"Please! I swear I don't know!" he begged, quaking with fear.

She leaned closer, her eyes blazing with anger. "Why?"

"R-revenge..." he stammered, quailing from her terrifying expression. "Against you... against the Lion. You've upset a lot of powerful people... and they've got deep pockets."

"You're a traitor and a murderer," she said with contempt, rising to her feet. She pointed the pistol at his horrified face and pulled the trigger, executing him with a blast of laser-fire.

"If they're trying to get revenge on you and John, who else could they be going after?" Jehanna asked, her face taut with worry.

"It's got to be Charles," Lynette replied, looking equally pensive. "I know he's in danger... I have to go to him."

"Henry Voss!" Jehanna suddenly blurted out, her eyes widening in alarm. "Rachel's father is here on the station!"

"Go, protect him!" Lynette urged the dusky-hued reporter. "But be careful!"

Jehanna gave her a curt nod, then turned and sprinted down the corridor.

Lynette glanced back towards her quarters and saw that Fiske was standing in the hallway, staring at her in bewilderment. "Colonel, I want you to rally your loyal forces. We need to track down and eliminate the ISD teams!"

"B-but what about the troopers in black armour?" he stammered. "Shouldn't we hunt them down?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "No, they're with me. Tell your men to stay out of their way."

"You ordered them here? But why didn't you tell me?!" he protested, looking aghast.

"Because I didn't trust you," Lynette replied with brutal candour. "You kept questioning my orders, which meant you were either a real stickler for the rules, or you were a potential threat. I wasn't going to take any chances, so I transferred a contingent of special forces to Olympus as a safety precaution."

He stared at her in silence for a long moment, then blurted out, "Who are you?"

"You know who I am; I'm Fleet Admiral Lynette Devereux," she replied, removing the disc from her jacket and slipping it into her trouser pocket. "I've served in the Terran Federation military for over thirty years."

Lynette's holo-disguise was useless now, as the micro holo-emitters had been lost when she was knocked sprawling by the grenade explosion. Until she activated another set of micro holo-projectors, she wouldn't be able to disguise her appearance, but she didn't have time to set them up. Unfastening her belt, she took off her dark-grey Fleet Admiral's jacket, before folding it carefully and placing it by the wall. Now no one would ever suspect that this breathtakingly beautiful young woman was also the dowdy middle-aged leader of the Terran Federation.

"I'm also a Lioness," Lynette said proudly, clipping her shield belt together again around her trim waist. "The disguise was necessary, because people would struggle to take orders from a Fleet Admiral that now looks like a swimsuit model."

Fiske snorted and shook his head, "You'd be surprised. Everyone knows what the Lionesses can do."

She smiled for a moment, then looked him in the eye. "Rally your troops and hunt down the ISD teams. I need to protect Charles."

He nodded and gave her a crisp salute. "Good luck, Fleet Admiral."

Lynette returned his salute, then sprinted down the corridor as she headed for the elevators.

"Well, I'll be damned," Fiske muttered, watching the athletic young woman's graceful departure.

***

"Beta team, report!" Major Vihaan Khatri snapped into the commlink, but there was no reply, the communications channel remaining ominously silent.

The mission had started off perfectly, with Alpha team quickly sighting and engaging the target. Seconds after they had opened fire, there'd been a deafening explosion in front of the house and since then, Vihaan hadn't been able to contact anyone in Beta team. He watched Alpha team storm through the broad patio doors, the black armoured soldiers fanning out to search the house for the target.

His commlink squawked and the driver of the second APC appeared in the small holo-screen. "Major, we need support! Beta Team is down!"

"Do you have eyes on the target?" Vihaan demanded, ignoring operative Khasanov's plea for help.

"She just left in a red Luxura sedan!" he replied, shouting to be heard over the sound of the APC's turret gun opening up. "We're coming under RPG fire from the house next door! Attempting to neutralise!"

"Fuck that, get after her!" the infuriated Major yelled, killing the call. He contacted Alpha team over the local command channel. "Target has escaped, fall back to the APC!"

The soldiers sprinted across the lawn and Vihaan ducked back into the armoured transport, yelling at the driver to get ready for immediate departure. Alpha team piled into the APC, entering from the rear ramp and the side access door, the dozen men taking their seats in record time. Before the doors had even started to close, the driver took off, the chunky vehicle lifting skyward with a high-pitched whine of anti-gravity cyclics.

They soared over the roof of the house and Vihaan glanced down at the devastation in the front garden. He was shocked to see the huge craters and the mangled remains of Beta team, with pieces of the dozen elite operatives now strewn across the lawn. Just like with every mission, there was always the possibility of one or two casualties, no matter how well-planned beforehand. However, he never expected for one moment that he might lose a whole squad... and considering the unsanctioned nature of this mission, there would be no clean-up team to retrieve those fallen soldiers.

Vihaan slumped back in his chair and ran his fingers through his short black hair. This was turning into an unmitigated disaster. Local law enforcement would receive a torrent of emergency calls after the Fernandez house had turned into a warzone, with probably the entire neighbourhood reporting gunfire and explosions. When the police rushed to the site and saw the scale of the carnage, it was highly likely that they'd call for additional support from outside their jurisdiction, perhaps even involving Jericho planetary law enforcement.

He was jolted from his thoughts by another chirp from his commlink.

"We've spotted her, Major! She's heading for the skylane!" Khasanov called out in warning. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Shall we break off pursuit?"

Lurching from his seat, Vihaan hurried to stand behind the driver and stared through the windscreen. Up ahead he could see the back of the second APC, the powerful vehicle gaining altitude as it left the suburb and raced to catch the fleeing sedan. He couldn't see the red hovercar yet, but there was no missing the busy traffic in the skylane. A highly-visible pursuit was the absolute last thing he wanted, but this might be his only opportunity to kill Maria Fernandez.

"What are your orders, Sir?" Khasanov pressed, his voice terse with worry.

Vihaan couldn't help wondering if his career with ISD was already over. If it was, then avenging his family's honour was the only thing he could salvage from this nightmare.

"Stay on her!" he finally ordered. "Stop at nothing to eliminate the target!"

***

Jehanna bolted out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, the small crowd waiting outside flinching back when they saw her brandishing the glowing laser pistol.

"Holy shit!" one of the base personnel gasped as she darted past them. "Was that Jehanna Elani?!"

She smiled wryly to herself, imagining the public's reaction if footage was leaked of TFNN's star reporter gunning down ISD assassins to protect the Fleet Admiral. Her smile was wiped away as she remembered the old expression... that history was written by the victors. If Lynette was killed in this attack and an enemy became the new Fleet Admiral, Jehanna wouldn't be lauded for heroism, instead she could be facing a mass-murder trial.

With those sobering thoughts in mind, Jehanna sprinted towards the administrative complex where Henry Voss' office was located. It didn't take long for her to encounter the first group of casualties, finding a group of dead soldiers riddled with bullet wounds. The marines had been involved in a furious gunfight, but without armour and only carrying sidearms, they'd stood no chance against the battle-ready ISD operatives. Giving them one last sorrowful look, she leapt over the bodies, then hurried onwards,

More groups of soldiers had been killed along the way, their corpses like a macabre trail of breadcrumbs that would lead her to the traitors behind the insurrection. Jehanna hadn't seen any soldiers wearing green combat armour amongst the dead, so if all the ISD troops were equipped the same way, it meant they hadn't lost a man yet. Hearing gunfire from up ahead, Jehanna's heart skipped a beat as she realised it was coming directly from Henry's office suite.

"No, no... please don't be too late!" she gasped in anguish, running faster towards the firefight.

Getting closer, she realised it wasn't just assault rifles she was hearing. There was a high-pitched shriek and the corridor up ahead was illuminated by a burst of staccato flashes. The terrifying cacophony was followed seconds later by a couple of explosions, the deep boom from the blasts shockingly loud. Jehanna felt a horrible sense of dread, imaging how devastated Rachel would be when she learned that her father had been killed. It was even worse knowing that she had been so close to getting there in time to save him.

To her surprise, the sound of fierce fighting still reverberated down the corridor, making Henry's death not such a foregone conclusion. The sweeping windows outside the Voss Corporation foyer had been shot to pieces, thousands of shards of glass scattered like a jagged carpet across the floor. Skidding to a halt as she reached the shattered windows, Jehanna raised her pistol and stalked forwards, getting her first glimpse of Henry's office. She was stunned by what she saw.

The broad mahogany reception desk had been shot to pieces, hundreds of bullet holes covering almost every inch of its surface. Behind all that ravaged wood there was a metallic sheen of titanium plating, highlighted by the few overhead lights that were still flickering intermittently. Flanking the mangled desk, two blackened alcoves were set back in the wall; whatever had once stood there was now reduced to misshapen lumps of twisted metal. The most shocking sight of all was the four green-armoured operatives lying contorted where they fell, steam rising from the glowing holes punched in their armour.

The rest of the squad were huddled against the wall, standing to either side of the double-doors leading to Henry Voss' main office. One of the soldiers leaned around the corner with his rifle and triggered an underslung grenade launcher, firing the high-explosive ordnance into the room beyond. There was a deafening boom as the grenade exploded, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the answering shriek of laser fire. One of the dazzling energy bolts clipped the trooper's shoulder, burning a vicious furrow through his armour, the glowing wound scorching him right down to the bone.

"Mother fucker!" he snarled in pain, clutching his arm as he stumbled backwards from the doorway.

Another operative pulled the injured man into cover. "Medic!" he called out urgently.

As the soldier opposite fired a grenade into Henry's office, one of the armoured troopers hurried to attend to the laser burns, a trauma pack in his hand. He crouched by the wounded soldier and froze as he glanced across the foyer, the mirrored visor on his green helmet staring straight at Jehanna.

"Behind us!" he yelled. "Secondary target acquired!"

***

Lynette weaved her way through crowds of panicked merchants, the civilians running from the commercial district in Arm Five to the docking bays where their freighters awaited. Pandemonium reigned, the citizens pushing and shoving each other as they fled to escape from the Galleria, slowing her progress to a crawl. She tapped the comms interface on her wrist, deactivating the holo-cam before attempting to contact her special forces team. This time, much to her relief, the call went through.

Commander MacCallum appeared, his rugged features set in a frown. "Fleet Admiral? I'm not receiving video transmission..."

"My holo-cam's broken," she quickly replied. "Give me a sitrep, Commander."

"Saboteurs triggered three explosives; two in the barracks, one in the comms centre. When the devices were detonated, I dispatched protection details to each of the admirals in High Command, but we haven't been able to track down Schmidt, Harris, and Van Den Broeck."

"I have a team en route to Harris and Van Den Broeck. Keep searching for Schmidt," Lynette said, nimbly dodging around a trio of merchants. "Have you engaged ISD forces?"

"They're ISD?" the special force officer asked, looking thoughtful. "Yeah... that makes sense. Not many groups would have the resources and contacts to launch this kind of operation." He gazed into the camera and continued, "We've neutralised the teams that were hunting Cartwright. They were good and I lost six men, but we took prisoners. We haven't begun an interrogation yet."

"Excellent work, Commander," she said appreciatively. "Colonel Fiske is rallying his forces and has begun sweep and clear operations. He knows you're working directly for me, so you shouldn't encounter any friction with Olympus security."

MacCallum threw a sharp salute. "I appreciate it, Fleet Admiral."

"Devereux out," she said, tapping the button to end the call.

Up ahead, Lynette could see the crowd parting around a group of soldiers and she tightened her grip on her laser pistol.

"Please remain calm!" a marine officer called out to the crowd, raising his hands to get their attention. "There's no need to panic!"

The crowds ignored the squad of security personnel that were trying to restore order, giving them a wide berth as they ran. One burly civilian shoved a portly merchant aside, the push knocking the large man off balance and sending him sprawling into the young lieutenant.

The security officer caught the merchant to stop him falling over, only for the fat man to stumble backwards, his jowls quivering with fear. "Don't shoot me!" he begged, hands held up in desperation.

"What?! I'm not going to shoot you!" the lieutenant replied, bewildered by the merchant's terrified response.

Lynette overheard the exchange and dived through a gap in the teeming horde, reaching the empty space surrounding the security team.

"The soldiers you saw shooting people... where are they?" she demanded, grabbing the merchant by the arm.

As the corpulent trader gaped at her in fear, the lieutenant rounded on the interloper. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped, before getting a look at the Fleet Admiral's face. His eyes widened in astonishment as he gazed awestruck at her almost unearthly beauty.

"I'm a Lioness," Lynette said, without taking her eyes off the merchant. "Tell me where those soldiers are. I need to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

A look of relief spread across the large man's flushed face. "Thank God you're here!" he gasped, before turning and pointing back towards the Galleria. "They were going up to the top level... they just started shooting at us!"

Lynette gave him a grateful nod, then stepped aside and triggered a burst of bright blue laser fire at the ceiling high overhead. The flash of light and high-pitched shriek drew the immediate attention of everyone in the corridor, with hundreds of frightened civilians shrinking back and staring at her.

"Lioness coming through!" she yelled at the shocked crowd. "Move out the way!"

She stalked forward, picking up speed as the civilians hurried to clear a path for her. Soon there was a broad passage through the crowd and she was able to sprint full tilt towards the Galleria, a rippling cheer gaining in volume as she passed the civilians.

Hearing their earnest gratitude was a moving moment for Lynette. Serving in the military, she'd always felt she was a small part of something bigger, working towards the betterment of humanity. This was something else entirely though... the people's hero worship of John Blake extending to the women who fought at his side. She had never been on the receiving end of such open adoration before and her heart swelled with pride at being a Lioness.

It didn't take long for her to start hearing gunshots and when Lynette rushed into the Galleria, her hazel eyes swept the plaza for the source. The crowds had thinned considerably, with most of the panicked civilians fleeing as soon as the bombs went off, minutes before the actual shooting started. That made it easy to spot the combatants, with a squad of soldiers in green body armour involved in a firefight on the highest gallery level, over on the far side of the plaza. She could see the flashes of their guns as they provided covering fire, advancing steadily across the upper level.

Lynette considered her options, wondering whether she should keep the element of surprise by crossing the plaza and rushing up via the ramps, then engage them from behind. The desperate handgun shots amidst all that rifle chatter changed her mind and she narrowed her eyes as she sprinted for the closest set of elevators.

***

Faith twisted in her seat and looked back through the rear window, searching for any sign of pursuit. It didn't take long for her to spot one of the black APCs behind them, the stocky vehicle drifting into view as it overtook a ponderous hover-truck. "They're still following! You have to go faster, they're gaining on us!

"I've got my foot flat-down already!" Maria said in frustration, glancing at the dashboard. "We're doing 200... the car's speed is auto-restricted."

"Yeah, but theirs isn't," Faith said with a grimace. She squirmed between the front seats and scrambled into the back of the Luxura sedan.

Maria watched her in surprise. "What're you doing now?"

"I stashed some spare gear in the trunk," the undercover agent replied, lifting a concealed handle on the back seat and folding down the central section. "Sorry for not telling you."

Shaking her head, Maria said, "Under the circumstances, you're forgiven." She glanced in the mirror at the young woman, Faith's ass up in the air, her upper body poking through the hole in the back seat. "Have you got a comms device back there? We need to call for help!"

"No, just guns," Faith replied, her voice muffled. "Head for Baybury. They won't follow us into the city... there's no way they could cover up a chase through a metropolis."

Maria glanced at the Nav system, seeing that they were still ten miles from Baybury City. "We'll be there in three minutes!"

Before Faith could reply, the car shuddered as it was hit by a burst of high-calibre rounds, the rear window exploding in a shower of glass. Ducking down, Maria fought back the urge to scream in fear.

"Shit!" Faith snarled, wriggling out of the access hatch into the trunk, with an assault rifle in her arms. "Keep dodging Maria... use the traffic for cover!"

The Latina peeked over the dashboard, trying to see where she was going without leaving herself too exposed. There were three main tracks in the skylane, with the slow freight haulers on the left, a wide overtaking lane in the middle, and the faster regular traffic on the right. She weaved over to the left, lurching in front of a long truck, its rear flatbed piled high with fruit and vegetables.