Three Square Meals Ch. 130

The intercom on her desk chimed, drawing her attention with its irritating tone. Striding over, she tapped on the holo-interface to accept the call. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

Her adjutant's voice rang out, "I have Admiral Kester and Admiral Harris here to see you, Ma'am."

"Send them in please, Jared," she requested, turning towards the door.

Her fiancé entered first, Charles' moustache twitching as he greeted her with a smile. "Look who I found skulking around the shuttle bay."

"Skulking?" Anthony Kester said in mock indignation. "The triumphant hero returning to receive his justly deserved accolades does not skulk!"

"Welcome back, Anthony," Lynette said with a warm smile. "I was actually just admiring your handiwork..."

Charles walked closer to the window and studied the extensive damage to the dreadnought's bow. "I'm amazed the superstructure held together as well as it did. You really rammed a battleship at full speed?"

Kester smacked his fist into his palm. "It was like a bug hitting the windshield... just a bit messier."

"Yes, I can imagine," Charles said with a wry smile. "I'll try to get your ships repaired as quickly as possible, but the drydock is already at full capacity refitting the fleets after the Battle of Terra."

"I won't object to a nice bit of R&R while I'm waiting..." Kester said hopefully, darting a grin in the Fleet Admiral's direction. "Buckingham stuck me out on the Trankaran border for months."

"You've more than earned it," Lynette agreed, walking over to the coffee table. "Would you gentlemen care for a drink?"

They requested coffees, which she poured for them as they joined her on the sofas.

Kester took a sip, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the fleet. "My cap ships took a battering, but I wasn't expecting them to be in better shape than Olympus. I had no idea the damage to the station was so severe."

"We lost a lot of good marines in that attack," Lynette said with a grim frown. "Admiral Schmidt too... he never had a chance. The ISD shock troops were well-organised and caught us completely by surprise. It's a minor miracle that we didn't lose a lot more people before we neutralised their forces."

"A miracle? Is that what we're calling them?" Kester smirked. "Is there any chance I can be assigned a cohort of gorgeous miracles to my fleet? Well... technically one of them is a reporter, but a cadre of crack journalists would be just as good."

Lynette felt a sinking feeling in her chest. "What do you mean?"

"May I?" he asked, gesturing towards the holo-interface built into the coffee table. When the Fleet Admiral nodded, he started tapping at the icons. "I was catching up on the news this morning and saw this... it's all over the holo-net."

Two holo screens appeared in front of Lynette, floating just above the coffee table. The first showed unsteady footage from a trooper's helmet camera, with terrified crowds fleeing from the Galleria. Suddenly there was a dazzling burst of laser fire, the pulses of blue light drawing everyone's attention to a stunningly beautiful brunette who held a glowing pistol aloft. "Lioness coming through!" she yelled a second later, and the teeming horde parted like the Red Sea.

The second image was an equally shaky hand-held recording of a gorgeous raven-haired girl striding purposefully into the Voss reception area, her boots crunching on broken glass. She had the same distinctive laser pistol held in her outstretched hand, an ominous blue light gleaming along the long barrel. The squad of ISD insurgents spotted her and showered the woman in a hail of bullets, but the rounds all bounced off harmlessly, leaving her completely unscathed. Ignoring the storm of lead, she began methodically executing the renegade soldiers, pausing only briefly to shrug off the blast from a fragmentation grenade.

There was no mistaking who was responsible for that slaughter, the beautiful TFNN reporter turning to survey the steaming corpses to check for survivors. As if to drive that point home, the caption below the two videos stated: "Lioness Jehanna Elani saves Henry Voss!"

Lynette clenched her fists in anger. "God dammit!"

***

"Do you have to rush off again?" Harini Elani asked, frowning with disapproval at her daughter. "You only just got here!"

Jehanna laughed and rolled her eyes. "I just spent the whole weekend with you, Mama. I'd love to stay longer, but I need to get back to Olympus this evening."

Harini's expression darkened with concern. "Are you trying to drive your poor mother into an early grave? You're not safe there, Jehanna. I've been worried sick since the attack!"

"It's safe now, I promise," Jehanna said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"How can you promise me something like that? Just this month Olympus was attacked by an alien war fleet and blown up by terrorists!" Harini protested. "You should speak to that horrible boss of yours... Avery. Tell that man it's too dangerous there and demand that he transfer you back to Terra!"

Jehanna shook her head and patiently explained, "I had contacts in High Command and they offered me the opportunity to be Press Liaison for the Admiralty. Avery didn't want me to go to Olympus and actually asked me to stay based in the TFNN building."

"I always liked him," her mother said, nodding sagely. "You should listen to Avery... go back to being Lead Anchor. I miss seeing you on the Holonet every evening after dinner."

"Mama... I've got one of the most prestigious jobs in the Terran Federation," Jehanna said, with an exasperated sigh. "I was there to witness history in the making; Fleet Admiral Devereux forging an alliance with Queen Edraele Valaden, the leader of the Maliri Protectorate! TFNN Lead Anchor would be a huge step backwards."

"There's more to life than your career," Harini admonished her, wagging a finger in Jehanna's direction.

"I know... you've told me lots of times." Jehanna mimicked her mother's voice as she continued, "You should find yourself a good husband. Start having children while you're still young and have lots of energy!"

"Well you should," Harini harrumphed indignantly. Her eyes glinted with maternal cunning, then she asked gently, "What does your mysterious new man think about having a family?"

Leaning back against the countertop, Jehanna sighed wistfully and gazed out into the garden. "He'd love to have children... and a big part of me longs to choose that life with him. The problem is, it would mean giving up my career and I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that yet."

"You could always go back to work after maternity leave?" Harini suggested. A hopeful smile appeared on her face. "You know I'd love to help you look after my grandchildren..."

Jehanna hesitated, then shook her head. "It's not as simple as that, Mama."

Harini threw her hands up in exasperation. "It's complicated... yes, I know! But that's all you've told me! I don't understand why you have to keep your man a secret from your own mother! Are you ashamed of him? Is he a criminal?"

"Don't be ridiculous, mother, you already know he's in the military." Rolling her eyes again, Jehanna walked over to the kettle and filled it with water. "Cup of tea?"

"Hmph... Yes, go on then," Harini muttered, wondering how she could pry more information from her daughter.

Jehanna turned and yelled over her shoulder, "Cup of tea, Papa?" She glanced at her mother and smiled as she whispered his predictable reply, "Not much milk, no sugar..."

"Not much milk, no sugar!" her father yelled back from the lounge.

Jehanna had heard the same phrase repeated thousands of times over the years, and was suddenly struck by a wave of nostalgia, remembering her happy childhood growing up in the family home. It wasn't just her career that she'd have to give up to raise her own family with John in the Maliri Protectorate... she'd have to leave behind her parents too. Her eyes welled up at that thought and she felt more conflicted than ever.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Harini asked with concern, giving her a supportive hug.

"I-I'd love to tell you all about him, Mama..." Jehanna said, leaning into her embrace. "But I can't... I have to keep who he is a secret to protect you."

Harini stroked her daughter's long silky black hair. "Are you really sure he's the one for you, Jehanna?" she asked tentatively. "I must admit, I'm worried that you can't even tell me who he-"

"JEHANNA! Get your ass in here!" her father thundered, drowning out his wife.

Mother and daughter blinked in surprise and exchanged a startled look. Neither of them could ever remember her father addressing her in such a manner. Jehanna strode out of the kitchen with Harini hurrying behind, then down the long hallway and into the Lounge, where her father was standing in front of the holo-screen.

He turned and stabbed an accusatory finger at the split-screen images that dominated the far wall. "Care to explain what the hell is going on?!"

Bewildered at what could have so upset her father, Jehanna turned to look at the holographic projection... and her breath caught when she realised what it was. She watched herself shoot bursts of laser fire at ISD insurgents, blasting gaping holes through their chest armour as she mercilessly executed the entire squad.

"Oh no..." Jehanna whispered, her heart filled with dread as her world came crashing down.

***

Alyssa activated the holo-interface in John's desk and swiped through her trading accounts. A triumphant grin spread across her face when she saw the huge profits she'd made, her investment in starship construction companies paying handsomely after Henry Voss' acquisitions. The pressing question now, was what to invest in next. She considered the astonishing results that Rachel had achieved in curing another batch of supposedly incurable diseases, then shorted the stock on the companies providing temporary pain relief for those ailments.

*Rachel, have you created vaccines for all those lethal diseases you cured?* she asked the gifted doctor.

*Not yet, but creating vaccines would be trivial by comparison.*

*What are vaccinations usually made from?* Alyssa pressed, her mind ticking over.

Rachel immediately replied, *The antigen for the pathogen, be that a virus or bacteria, which is usually mixed with an adjuvant to stimulate a stronger immune response. Then the usual preservatives, antibiotics, and stabilizers, all delivered by hypo-injector.*

*Super, thanks!*

*Why did you want to know?* the brunette asked, her curiosity piqued.

*I'm making it rain...* Alyssa replied, smiling as she heard Rachel's laughter.

Alyssa opened up several new holo-screens, her cerulean eyes flicking back and forth as she gave herself a comprehensive education in Vaccinology. Narrowing down a list of the suppliers for those materials, she rapidly researched the relevant companies, then queued up a series of stock trades.

*Jade, are you busy at the moment?* she asked her fellow matriarch.

*Not really. I'm just chatting to Emily about Nymphs while my sisters experiment with shape-shifting. Is there something I can help you with?*

*I was wondering if you could give me a crash course in Ancient Maliri?* Alyssa asked, completing the last of her trades as she waited for Jade's reply. *We'll be heading to the Kyth'faren fortress soon and I'd like to know the basics.*

*Ith bregnol, hast elair imenn'eier voluith,* the Nymph replied, the exotic language enchanting to the ear.

Alyssa shivered with delight, the words resonating deep inside her. *That was lovely. What did you say?*

*You'll look beautiful with a baby bump,* Jade replied with a telepathic grin.

The blonde burst into laughter, then a tender smile appeared on Alyssa's face as she trailed her fingertips over her trim stomach. *How do you say: I can't wait to have John's baby?*

Before the Nymph could translate, Lynette's worried voice interrupted the conversation. *Alyssa, we've got a problem!*

Alyssa sat up straighter and listening attentively. *What kind of problem?*

*Jehanna's cover as a secret Lioness has been blown!* the Fleet Admiral exclaimed, her anger and frustration plain to hear. *There's combat footage on the Holonet. It shows her in action during the ISD attack on Olympus.*

*Is she in danger?* the blonde matriarch asked curtly, opening a holo-screen to find the video.

*She isn't on Olympus at the moment; Jehanna went to visit her parents,* Lynette replied in a rush. *I've just dispatched an upgraded cruiser with a security detail to their home on Roanoke. I didn't want her family to be harassed by the press.*

*Good thinking. How long until they arrive at Proxima Centauri?* Alyssa murmured, watching the bullets bounce off Jehanna's personal shield.

*Twenty minutes...* Lynette said, sounding pensive. *I'll call and warn her they're on the way.*

*It's okay, I'll speak to her in a moment.*

*I'm really sorry about this, Alyssa. I was so frantic to reach Charles when we were attacked, I wasn't thinking straight,* Lynette apologised, wracked with guilt. *If I hadn't been so stupid to announce that I was a Lioness, this never would have happened!*

*You did the right thing, Lynette. Rescuing Charles as quickly as possible was your number one priority,* her matriarch said soothingly, studying the two videos and spotting the telltale laser pistols that had given away Jehanna's secret identity. *Besides, Ilyana and Almari used pistols like that during the Battle of Terra. With all the interest in the Lionesses, it was only a matter of time before someone made the connection.*

There was a long pause, then Lynette said, *You're right... I've just been reading through the comments and the Lioness fans are already speculating about their identity.*

*Okay, I'll let John know what happened. Thanks, Lynette, I'll chat to you again in a few minutes.*

*Speak to you soon.*

Alyssa leaned back in the leather chair, her eyes locked on the dusky beauty standing in the midst of the slaughtered soldiers. She'd been monitoring Jehanna's emotions over their empathic bond for the past couple of weeks, the young woman increasingly conflicted as she wrestled with big decisions about her future. However, the sudden spike in dread Jehanna was feeling now, made it quite clear the TFNN reporter had just found out about the Holonet video.

*John... can you meet me in your Ready Room please? It's urgent,* Alyssa requested, foregoing her usual teasing banter.

*On my way. What's the problem?* he asked, already running for the grav-tubes.

*Someone leaked footage of Jehanna in action on Olympus,* Alyssa explained, feeling the Indian girl run through a gamut of emotions. *Everyone knows she's a secret Lioness...*

***

"What do you mean 'No'?!" Ramesh Elani blurted out, staring incredulously at his stunned daughter.

Harini frowned at him in annoyance. "She didn't say 'No', she said 'Oh no'. I've been telling you for months that you need to get your hearing checked, Ramesh." Rubbing Jehanna's back, she continued, "Anyway, leave her in peace for a minute... my poor baby's just had a big shock."

"She's had a shock?! What about me!" he protested, turning to point at the holo-screen. "Your daughter's a Lioness! She gunned down an entire squad of elite ISD operatives!"

Ignoring her husband, Harini stepped in front of Jehanna, looking directly into her dazed brown eyes. "It's him, isn't it? It all makes sense now... you've fallen in love with the Lion of the Federation."

Ramesh's jaw dropped open and he stared wide-eyed at his wife and daughter. "What?!"

*Hello, Jehanna,* Alyssa said, her gentle voice sweeping through the young woman's subconscious like a soothing balm. *Don't worry, everything's going to be okay.*

Jehanna let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, feeling her state of panic slowly receding.

*We just found out what happened from Lynette,* the blonde matriarch calmly explained. *She's sent a cruiser and a security team to escort you back to Olympus; they should be arriving in about twenty minutes. John's going to give you a call as soon as he joins me in the Ready Room, so we'll speak to you in just a moment.*

The thought of John calling her family home was like dumping a bucket of cold water on Jehanna's head. Her eyes snapped open, immediately focusing on the faces of her concerned parents.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Harini asked, gently stroking her cheek.

Jehanna nodded, inhaling deeply to shake herself out of her dazed state. "I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you the truth," she said, looking at her mother and father with chagrin. "I really wanted to, but we were worried it might put you in danger."

"Oh, don't worry about that," her mother said, giving her a loving hug. "I can't believe you're dating Admiral John Blake. I want to know all about him!"

"That can wait, Harini," Ramesh said sternly, glancing back at the combat footage, before locking eyes with his daughter. "This is more important. We need to talk about what happened on Olympus."

Jehanna held up her hands to quiet them both. "John's going to call me any minute now. Let me speak to him first, then we can talk about everything afterwards."

Before her parents could utter another word, the comms interface began to chime. An alert flashed across the holo-screen that dominated the lounge, which read: "Incoming call from TFN Invictus -- Admiral John Blake". Her mother's face lit up with joy while her father frowned, looking considerably less pleased.

"Please... just give me five minutes," Jehanna pleaded with them.

Harini hooked her arm around Ramesh's. "Come on! Let's leave her in peace." She practically dragged her protesting husband out of the lounge, calling back over her shoulder, "Take as long as you need, dear!"

Her mother closed the door behind them with a solid click, leaving Jehanna alone with the soft chimes. She accepted the incoming call with butterflies fluttering in her stomach, experiencing a sudden thrill of excitement, no matter the dire circumstances. The Terran Federation logo disappeared in a cloud of pixels, revealing her boyfriend's handsome face.

"It's so wonderful to see you, John!" she gushed, feeling a surge of relief.

"It's great to see you too," he replied, giving her a warm smile. "I really missed you, honey. I can't wait to hold you in my arms tonight."

She hesitated, suddenly noticing the shadow of sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there only two weeks before.

"John... I was so sorry to hear about Faye. She was such a sweet girl... I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must have been for you. When Alyssa told me what happened, I-" Jehanna halted mid-sentence, uncertain how secure the channel was. "Nevermind... we can talk about it later."

"It's alright, you can speak freely. Irillith hacked the comms beacons and the security on this transmission is uncrackable. Oh... and thanks, for what you said about Faye. A big part of me wishes I'd just stayed with you on Olympus," John said, his smile slowly fading. He sighed, then did his best to shrug off the melancholy moment. "Anyway, let's talk about your situation for now. Alyssa showed me the video... I'm so sorry for turning your life upside down like this."

Jehanna was about to reply, when she froze and had a sudden moment of epiphany. "You haven't!"

John looked at her in confusion. "But that video is pretty graphic... I don't see how we can deny that you're a Lioness now."

"But I'm not... not really!" she blurted out in a rush. Now that her initial panic was over, she was starting to think clearly again. "We can just tell everyone the truth!"

His bewildered expression shifted to doubt. "I'm not sure that's such a great idea, honey."

Blushing as she realised what he was referring to, Jehanna's hand instinctively drifted down to caress her stomach. "No, not that," she quickly clarified. "Everyone knows you rescued me when I was kidnapped and taken to Tartarus. I'm sure it's obvious from all the interviews that we've become friends, which explains why you gave me the laser pistol and shield... to protect me in the future. It makes perfect sense, because that's exactly what happened."