Three Square Meals Ch. 069

Buckingham looked suitably chastised, and he said, "Please accept our apology, John. We do greatly appreciate your assistance against the Kintark."

John nodded slowly, but he wasn't completely mollified, not yet. His tone grew colder as he said, "One final thing I need to make absolutely clear. I won't tolerate any kind of threats, veiled or otherwise, towards my crew. I'm very protective towards them, and I'll be forced to take steps if I feel they, or their families are in any kind of danger.

You know the identities of some of my girls, and that they have family here in the Terran Federation. Just in case the thought of using them as leverage crosses your mind, I want you to think about what I did to the Armoured Cobras; they hurt one of my crew, so I wiped them out. You've seen what my ship can do, and with the alliances I've made, I could unleash retribution on a truly terrifying scale. Let's not go down a path that all of us will regret."

Admiral Weber flushed, and looked away guiltily, no longer able to meet John's unrelenting stare.

Jayanti Mishra gave him a tentative smile, and said, "We're sorry, John, truly. Of course you don't have anything to worry about regarding the safety of your crew's relatives. Why would you? You're our valued ally, and we'll be going out of our way to look after them."

"That's very reassuring to hear... thank you," he said, nodding his approval. When no further comments were forthcoming, he straightened in his seat, and added, "I think we've covered everything we needed to, but I'm sure we'll speak again in the near future. Good luck to you all, and congratulations on your stunning victory over the Kintark Empire."

He leaned forward, and pressed a button on his console ending the call. Jade, Irillith, and Faye were watching him quietly, an appreciative twinkle in their eyes.

Clearing his throat, John rose from his chair, and said self-consciously, "Ah, I better go and see Calara. She'll be worrying what's keeping me."

They gave him a wave goodbye, and he jogged down the steps from the Command Podium, before stepping into the red glow of the grav-tube.

*I thought we agreed that making threats wasn't the wisest course of action?* Edraele asked him archly.

John flushed with embarrassment, and replied, *Yeah, well they started pushing too hard about Irillith and Calara. I wanted to nip that shit in the bud before they got any funny ideas.*

She sent him a fond telepathic smile, and said, *I love how protective you are over your girls, especially when one of them is my daughter.* Her voice was soothing as she added, *I'd be astonished if they tried anything, not after that performance. I think it went relatively well, and at least you avoided any real disasters.*

*Thanks, I guess,* he said wryly at her faint praise. *I get about a C+ for effort, then?*

Her light hearted laughter surged through his mind, making him smile, and she replied, *We'll make a diplomat of you yet.*

The grav-tube had reached Deck Nine, and he stepped out into the corridor that led to the Cargo Bay and Hangar Bay. He started walking down the corridor, but paused for a moment as he said earnestly, *All joking aside, I really appreciate your advice and support there, Edraele. That could have turned nasty, and it was a huge relief having you here to help prepare me for it. Thank you.*

She sent him a loving telepathic smile as she replied, *Your diplomatic relations with the Terran Federation might be going through a bit of a rough patch, but you're doing an excellent job of raising your standing with the Maliri of House Valaden. Who knows what gifts they'll lavish on you, the next time you honour them with your presence?*

Edraele's seductive tone left him in little doubt that he'd very much enjoy his next visit to Maliri Space. His mind raced with all the things he'd love to do to the alluring Maliri Matriarch, and he had to take a deep breath to get himself under control.

While Edraele sighed with delight, Alyssa said heatedly, *I so want to be there when you do all that to her!*

John chuckled, and said, *You'll have to ask Edraele very nicely, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind.*

Alyssa went quiet for a moment, before she said in an uncharacteristically serious voice, *Thank you for looking out for Calara. You care about her as much as I do, but I still wanted to say it anyway.*

*You're quite welcome. You know how much I love you both,* John replied, when he reached the two sets of double doors half way down the corridor.

He was about to hit the button to open the door into the Cargo Bay, but he turned at the last second, and strode across the corridor to open the Hangar instead. The heavy reinforced doors swished open to reveal the glossy white hull of the Raptor, which was parked securely in the centre of the huge room. As he walked into the room, he cast an appraising eye over the sparkling white crystal Alyssium plating, but he couldn't see even the hint of a plasma burn on its pristine surface.

*Ye of little faith,* Alyssa thought to him playfully. *Jade's a good girl, and she absolutely adores you. She'd never dream of lying to you about anything.*

John suddenly felt guilty for not trusting Jade's word, and finishing his circuit of the gunship, he headed for the exit, walking underneath the twin-linked Pulse Cannons in the Raptor's chin-turret. He strode briskly from the room as he closed the double doors behind him, but still felt relieved that the Nymph hadn't put herself in grave danger. He pressed the button to open the doors to the Cargo Bay, and was suddenly presented with a bustling mass of humanity.

There were hundreds of Terran Federation personnel here, who'd been sleeping on comfortable make-shift cots in the enormous room. Between the cleaning bots and Faye's maintenance bots, the Cargo Bay seemed to be in remarkably good shape, kept neat and tidying while the robots tended to the needs of their guests. The rescued prisoners looked far more healthy today, having shrugged off the effects of Tamolith's draconic pheromones, they now appeared bright-eyed and alert.

He glanced around the room as he looked for his girls, and spotted Faye's shimmering wings poking up above a throng of admirers. They were gathered around one of her maintenance robots, and Faye tittered at something one of the engineers said. Her wings fluttered enticingly as she laughed, and he smiled as he realised she was quite happy, obviously enjoying the attention.

There was another group of personnel eagerly queuing for a chance to be examined by Rachel and her helpful nurse, Dana. The two girls stood out amongst the grey uniforms in their pristine white outfits, and while Rachel cut a respectable figure in her tailored doctor's coat, he wasn't sure Dana's ensemble was designed with respectability in mind.

Her tight fitting top revealed ample amounts of cleavage, while her short skirt showed plenty of tanned thigh, up to the white leather boots that ended above the knee. Her voluminous auburn tresses hung loose around her shoulders, while a coquettish nurse's hat completed the ensemble. Alyssa must have said something to her, as Dana turned to look his way, winking as she blew him a seductive kiss. He chuckled and she gave him a sparkling smile, clearly relishing all the admiring glances and flirtatious comments she was receiving.

Unfortunately, Dana's kiss started whispers of "The Lion!" racing around the room, as the men in the queue turned to see who was lucky enough to receive this stunning girl's attention.

An awed hush quickly descended, as six-hundred-and-forty-five Terran personnel turned to look his way, staring at him with wide eyes. Wearing his white dress uniform jacket, with the roaring golden lion emblazoned across his chest, he was immediately identifiable to anyone who'd heard of him. That meant everybody in the room knew who he was at a glance.

He grinned at them, and raising his voice he shouted, "Welcome back to Terran Space! We'll have you home before you know it!"

What started out as spontaneous applause quickly developed into rousing cheers, and John found himself receiving earnest thanks from all the people around him. He'd seen that profound relief in people's eyes before, having rescued his share of prisoners of war during his military service for the Terran Federation. It was the look of a man who thought they'd never live to see freedom again, and it was difficult not to be moved in the face of such overwhelming gratitude.

He spent a good twenty minutes shaking hands, and being magnanimous with the sometimes tearful prisoners, before he felt a gentle tap on the shoulder. This was unusual amongst the hearty backslapping from the jubilant crowd, so he turned to see who it was. Calara was standing there with her brother, the soft smile on her lips matching the tender look in her eyes. Mateo looked in a far better state now, with his goatee neatly trimmed, and his hair carefully styled once more. He'd undergone quite the transformation from the dishevelled figure they had rescued from Xen-Nuchek.

Quickly turning to the rest of the prisoners waiting to speak to him, John said, "Sorry everyone, I need to leave for a little while." When that declaration was met with a collective disappointed groan, he added, "We'll be taking you to Port Medea shortly, and I promise I'll be there when you disembark."

With that the crowd reluctantly let him depart, and he turned to face Calara and Mateo again. "Sorry about th-," he tried to say, before Mateo pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for coming to get me!" Mateo blurted out, hugging him tighter. "I thought I was done for!"

John clapped him on the shoulder, and gave Calara an embarrassed smile as he said, "I owed you, remember? You lent me that sparring gear..."

Mateo stared at him incredulously for a moment, then released John from the hug as he doubled over with laughter. There was a slightly hysterical edge to it, and John could see just how shaken Calara's brother had been by the whole experience.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," John said gently. "We're in the same system as the Damocles, so I thought you might like to see your dad."

Mateo looked like he was going to hug John again, but Calara stepped in and ran her arm around him instead, saying, "I want to see Dad too, big brother. No more hanging around, let's go!"

They headed back through the double doors into the corridor, and John pressed the button to open the Hangar Bay again. As he did so, he thought to Alyssa, *Can you send Jade down to fly us over to the Damocles, please?*

*Sure, but why not let Faye do it?* she replied curiously. *Jade's currently keeping an eye on things up on the Bridge, and I haven't got to the good bits of the story with Sakura yet.*

John shook his head as he strolled towards the Raptor, and replied, *I keep forgetting about Faye's new avatars. Forget I said anything* He pressed a button on his watch communicator and contacting the Bridge, he continued, "Hi Faye, would you mind flying us over to the Damocles please? I could do it myself, but I'd like someone to keep an eye on the Raptor while we're speaking to Jack."

Faye was sitting on his Command Console, and she looked at him quizzically, as she replied, "Sure, I'd love to! Why are you bothering to call the Bridge, though? I can hear and see you anywhere on the ship!"

He blinked in surprise, and said, "Oh! I didn't realise you could do that."

She nodded, and gave him an enthusiastic grin as she replied, "As long as one of my avatars is dedicated to monitoring the cam feeds, I can always see what's going on!"

The loading ramp at the front of the gunship began to lower, and it settled on the deck of the hangar as they arrived, John smiled at Mateo and Calara and waved them ahead. They strode into the Raptor, and he noticed that Faye had already begun to open the hangar doors so that they could depart. He hit the button on the wall to begin raising the ramp, then followed the Fernandez siblings into the corridor.

Mateo paused in front of the grav-tubes, and asked, "What happened to the lift?"

"This is much more fun, and a lot less annoying," Calara said with a grin.

She kept her arm looped around him, and coaxed Mateo into the soft blue glow on one side of the grav-tube. He looked astonished when he started lifting off the ground in the anti-gravity field, then started to laugh in amazement.

John followed after them, and said, "Dana invented them. Do you remember her? The redhead?"

"That gorgeous nurse built this?!" Mateo gaped at him in surprise.

"She's actually our Chief Engineer, but I'm not sure what she's up to with the nurse's uniform," John replied with a chuckle.

Calara grinned at them both, and said, "She was trying to 'raise morale' apparently, or at least I think that's what she claimed she was trying to raise..."

Mateo looked shocked at her innuendo, and said, "What happened to my innocent little sister?"

She laughed then with a throaty chuckle, and said, "Come on Mateo, I'm not in pigtails any more! I've been in active service for over 6 months; I've heard far worse, believe me."

They settled into the chairs at the back of the cockpit, and Mateo smiled as he said, "Sorry Callie, I forget you're all grown up now. That last visit was so surreal, I guess I kinda suppressed it."

Calara leaned in and hugged him affectionately as she said, "I must have kicked your ass harder than I thought if I've given you amnesia!"

Faye suddenly materialised in the cockpit, and gave everyone a friendly wave. "Hey guys!" she said, in her cheerful, breezy tone. "Just relax, and we'll be on our way in moments!"

"Thanks, Faye," John said with a grateful smile, relieved that she'd decided to keep wearing the dress she'd designed for herself a few hours earlier.

Mateo was watching her in fascination, and he asked tentatively, "Is she...?"

"A fairy?" Calara asked him with a giggle.

He laughed at that, and replied, "No, you little monster. Is Faye some kind of AI?"

"That's right!" Faye replied, giving him a radiant smile over her shoulder as she sat down in the Pilot's chair. "You must be as smart as your sister!"

When Faye focused on the flight controls, Mateo glanced at John, and asked quietly, "Aren't you worried about..."

John shook his head, and said with conviction, "No, not at all. The reason Terran AI kept going rogue is a long story, but Faye's totally dependable."

Mateo seemed relieved to hear that, then looked across the cockpit at John, studying him for a long moment before he asked, "Was Calara pulling my leg, or did you really fight that dragon to free us?"

John shook his head, and replied, "Not the one you saw. That was Tamolith, and we let her go."

"Hah! I knew you were spinning me a yarn," Mateo said, nudging Calara with an elbow.

Calara smiled then as she said, "John let her live, but he had to fight her mate. Kindralax was an awful lot bigger!"

Shaking his head, Mateo blurted out, "God, I can't even imagine anything bigger than that beast! It must have been terrifying." He sat back, running both hands through his thick hair as he did so, before crossing them behind his head as he stared off into the distance.

"Sorry if you've been through this with Calara already, but do you remember much of what happened?" John asked him hesitantly.

"Everything in the Kintark mine, or before that?" Mateo asked in return, his expression grim.

John gave him a sympathetic smile, and said, "I meant from when Admiral Norwood's men turned on you, but we can drop it if it's too painful to talk about."

Mateo shook his head, and replied, "Hell, after everything you've been through to rescue me, a little information is the least I can do!" He grimaced as he continued, "I'm afraid I can't tell you much though. It came as a complete shock when they betrayed the Federation, I didn't have a clue what was going on." Letting out a dark chuckle, he added, "They knew I'd never join them, so the bastards just arrested me and threw me in the brig. They didn't even bother asking if I was interested in their rebellion!"

"I never doubted you for a minute!" Calara said passionately, leaning in and hugging him again.

Mateo brushed his hands through her long hair, and looking down at his sister, he said, "Thanks Callie, that means a lot." He looked at John again after that, and continued, "I spent nearly a day in the Brig, then they transferred me to a shuttle with the rest of the loyal personnel. Commodore Wheeler handed us over to the Kintark on Xen-Nuchek, and then that dragon turned up, the Consort... After that, it's all a blur really."

Calara looked up at him, and said fiercely, "Don't worry, Wheeler got what was coming to him! All the traitors did!"

Her brother smiled at her, and said, "I heard there was a big fleet battle in the Regulus system. Faye explained what was happening during the fight to some of the men, but I didn't catch much of the details. Did the traitor forces try and help the Kintark in the battle?"

John shook his head, and replied, "No, not the ones that turned on you. Your sister wiped them out to a man in Kintark Space."

His brown eyes widened with shock as Mateo blurted out, "The traitor fleet was huge! One of the guards in the Brig claimed nearly three-quarters of Norwood's battle group had turned. There's no way a single ship could take on that many vessels, I don't care how many upgrades you've got!"

"We've got a new crewmember you haven't met yet," John explained carefully. "Irillith's a hacker, and she got the traitor fleet shooting at their Kintark escort. Both sides just about wiped each other out, and Calara cleaned up what was left over."

Mateo chuckled then, and his eyes flashed as he said, "I guess there's a nice sense of irony in that, but I just wish I could've been there to see it. Those smug bastards laughed at us when we got dumped off at Xen-Nuchek." He smiled then as he added, "I think I owe this new girl a drink. I-rill-ith you said? That's an unusual name."

John nodded, and replied, "When things have calmed down, we'll all meet up at your parent's house again. I'll introduce you to her then."

"She's a Maliri girl," Calara whispered to him secretively, her brown eyes twinkling. "Stunningly beautiful with flawless blue skin and long white hair."

Mateo laughed, and rolling his eyes he said, "Yeah right, you'll be telling me you've got a Yeti on the crew next!"

Calara laughed, and replied, "You'll just have to wait to meet her if you don't believe me."

They heard the dull metallic clang of docking clamps being attached to the Raptor's hull, and Faye rose from her chair as she said, "Sorry to interrupt, but we've just docked with the Damocles!"

Mateo and Calara rose to their feet, both looking equally excited to see their father. "Does Dad know I'm here?" Mateo asked his sister.

She looked at John, who shook his head as he replied, "I thought it'd be a nice surprise."

They both grinned at him in delight, and they headed towards the door out of the cockpit. Mateo turned before he left, and said, "It was nice to meet you Faye, and thanks for looking after me."

"It was my pleasure!" the purple sylph said to him, giving him a sparkling smile.

Mateo shook his head in wonder, and remarked to John, "Even the AI is beautiful on your ship! If you ever need a Navigator, let me know, alright? I'd transfer in a heartbeat!"

John smiled at him, and replied, "You'll have to convince Alyssa I'm afraid. She's my XO and is quite possessive about her recruitment responsibilities."

Calara nudged him with her shoulder and said, "She's also the ship's Navigator, so you'll have your work cut out trying to convince her!"

Her brother groaned good-naturedly, and let Calara guide him into the red glow of the grav-tube. Once they'd floated gently to the lower level, they walked through to the rear loading area, which housed the airlocks on both sides of the Raptor. Faye had docked on their starboard side, so they walked over to the corresponding airlock, and stepped through the inner airlock door. John then raised his hand towards the DNA reader to open the outer airlock.