Three Square Meals Ch. 083

"I'm sorry I haven't got that body made for you yet, Faye," Dana said, darting around and crouching in front of her. "I promise I've been thinking about it though and I've come up with a bunch of awesome ideas! It won't be much longer."

Faye reached out with purple fingers to brush them against the young woman's earnest face. "Thank you, Dana. You've always been so kind to me..." she murmured, her voice throbbing with emotion.

"That's what friends do -- we're there for each other," Dana said with a grin.

The purple sprite nodded, appearing lost in thought. She squared her shoulders after a moment and said firmly, "It's time."

The Raptor slowly lifted off the deck just as the huge hangar doors rose up into the ceiling. When their way was clear, the gunship drifted to port, clearing the outer hull of the Invictus and giving them their first clear view of the majestic spectacle of the Award Ceremony.

"Holy fuck!" Dana squeaked, staring out of the cockpit in utter disbelief.

Faye had brought the Invictus down to only two-hundred metres above ground level, the white battlecruiser hovering in position directly above Victory Square. Their ship wasn't the only one floating above the hundreds of thousands of people in the vast throng of humanity looking skyward. Directly ahead of the Invictus, above and behind the column-lined podium that provided a stage for the ceremony, was the colossal fleet carrier, the Retribution of Zeus. It was flanked by the distinctive shape of four massive Dreadnoughts, two on each side, while the sides of the packed square were lined by row after row of battleships.

It was a massive display of the Terran Federation's military might, with all the capital ships facing inwards, as if paying homage to the glossy white battlecruiser in their midst. Devereux had timed their entrance perfectly and the sun was just starting to set, the last rays just disappearing behind the horizon as night began to fall. As soon as the Raptor cleared the Invictus, the night sky lit up with the focused beams from thousands of floodlights, illuminating the grey titanium hulls of the fleet in attendance and making the Invictus' hull sparkle as it reflected the light.

"That explains where the fleet was..." Calara whispered in awe, as cruisers and destroyers soared high overhead in what seemed like a never-ending stream of warships.

"I've never seen so many people..." Tashana murmured, more shocked by the sheer numbers of Terrans in attendance than she was by the fleet strength on display.

Irillith shook her head in amazement. "There must be nearly a million people down there!"

John patted them both on their armoured shoulders. "Let's move out girls, we'll be landing in thirty seconds."

He turned and led the way, walking out of the cockpit before floating down to the lower level. Standing just in front of the loading ramp, Calara stood directly behind him, with Alyssa to her right and Sakura to her left. In the row behind them were Dana, Rachel, and Jade, with the Nymph standing in the middle. Finally, the armoured Maliri twins stepped into position at the rear, their faceplates now opaque with the anti-glare filter activated.

There was a slight tremor in their feet as the gunship touched down and the loading ramp began to open, descending to the glowing landing pad beneath them. They had parked on a raised platform approximately one-hundred metres from the huge tiered building before them. An elevated walkway linked the landing pad to the white stone platforms, with steps leading up to the higher levels. Providing a backdrop to the impressively grandiose stage, was an enormous banner showing a winged golden sword pointing towards a star -- the symbol of the Terran Federation.

Stirring military music started playing, which John immediately recognised as the anthem for the Terran Federation. Following that cue, he strode down the ramp to the landing platform with the girls keeping pace behind him. The Raptor lifted off behind them as soon as they were clear, giving the crowd an unimpeded view of proceedings. To both sides of the walkway were thousands of personnel from the Sentinel Battalion, the troops tasked with protecting the Terran homeworld were immediately recognisable by the red shoulders on their dress uniforms. The elite unit stood smartly at attention, but as they gazed up at him, he saw the looks of wonder in their expressions.

As John marched closer to the podium, he began to recognise familiar faces amongst the scores of admirals lining the upper tier of the platform. He spotted Charles by his signature moustache, a broad smile on the man's face as he watched John approach. Also there, were Edwin Caldwell, Carl Weber, and Jayanti Mishra, the three senior officers standing in a row to the right of Vincent Buckingham, the Fleet Admiral. All except Jayanti wore similar tense expressions, and it was obvious from their rigid body language that they were only here because they had no choice. To miss an event of this scale would be an open acknowledgement of their disapproval and they could not afford to spurn the reflected glory of today's ceremony.

Lynette Devereux was waiting behind an elevated lectern ahead of them, her face a studiously-practiced picture of authority and composure. She gave him a respectful nod, but he could see the flicker of a smile teasing her lips as she managed to suppress a triumphant grin. John returned her nod as he climbed up the steps, with the girls following closely behind him.

To the left of the speaker's podium was a slightly raised dais, with subtly marked indentations on the stonework to denote where to stand. He took his place on the right, with the girls standing in line next to him, Calara to his immediate left, with the other girls in Lioness uniforms lining up in position. Irillith and Tashana flanked the group and stood slightly behind them, looking both imposing and alluring in their form-fitting Paragon Armour.

The final stanzas of the Terran Federation anthem died out, the walk from the landing pad to their current places cleverly timed to match the duration of the music. As the notes faded away, a hushed silence descended on Victory Square as a million faces stared at the spectacle in awe. There was an electric atmosphere of anticipation over the crowd, the gathered audience and the billions watching the Award Ceremony live, all eager to catch a glimpse of the Lion and his Lionesses.

Devereux stood tall and her voice was clear as it was amplified to carry over the assembled crowd, her picture displayed on the huge holo-screens placed around Victory Square.

"Citizens of the Terran Federation, it is not often that one can know with certainty that they are making history. However, I can tell you without doubt, that generations from now, people will still be talking about this day. We have gathered to honour a man to whom the Terran Federation owes a tremendous debt, a man whose growing legend precedes him."

"Our very homeworld, upon which we stand today, was under the gravest of threats, in imminent danger of complete destruction at the hands of an uncaring and merciless foe. In the hour of humanity's greatest need, John Blake and his crew swept to our rescue, standing firm and resolute in their defence of Terra. When all hope appeared lost, they made their stand against a sinister robotic menace, saving the very birthplace of humanity from obliteration!"

The crowd went wild, cheering and applauding as they responded to Devereux's speech. The waves of sound from so much joyous celebration felt like a living, tangible thing as it swept across the stage, swirling around the object of the audiences' jubilation. She smiled at the vast crowd, eventually calming them with raised hands when it appeared there would be no end to the cheers.

Still facing forward, Devereux swept her hand to the left to gesture towards John and the girls. "Any normal citizen would have taken a moment to catch their breath, after performing their duty to the very highest of levels, but not the Lion and his Lionesses. They raced across space to root out that most depraved and twisted of foes, a hideous pair of vile traitors in our midst!"

While the audience listened enraptured, John's keen ears heard sharp intakes of breath behind him from the gathered Admiralty and the faintest of disconcerted mutterings.

*It appears Devereux is scoring political points,* Edraele murmured, listening in fascination. *High Command probably wanted to keep the Dragon March Traitors a secret from the general populace.*

John managed to avoid frowning in confusion. *Why would she do that? She's more focused on maintaining High Command's favourable public opinion than any admiral I've met so far. Surely it'll look bad for the Admiralty when it turns out two admirals betrayed the Terran Federation?*

There was a strong current of admiration in Edraele's voice as she explained, *By bringing Lynton and Norwood into the harsh spotlight of public focus today, there will be no covering up their actions. The media will start asking questions, some of which will be very awkward to answer for Fleet Admiral Buckingham. More importantly from Devereux's perspective, it also reminds the Admiralty of Buckingham's terrible errors in judgement, allowing traitors to become so intimately involved in the Kintark invasion.*

John felt a newfound grudging respect for Devereux's scheming, although he disapproved of such cynical manipulation and game-playing. He sent his gratitude to Edraele for clarifying events, then focused on Lynette as she continued speaking.

"After the Lion shone the bright light of Terran Federation justice on those unspeakable traitors, they fled to their evil Kintark masters, committing more acts of foul treason along the way. Many thousands of loyal men and women were slain in a moment of infamy, as their once-trusted comrades turned against them. However, there was an inspiring moment of hope triggered by those dark deeds, as hundreds of personnel stayed true to the proud ideals of the Terran Federation. They refused to turn with their traitorous brethren, but were rewarded for their unimpeachable sense of honour by imprisonment, before being turned over as slaves to the Kintark."

There was a moment of horrified gasps, the crowd breaking their respectful composure and recoiling at the thought. The terrible mines of Xen'Nuchek were well known amongst the military personnel in attendance.

"In any normal circumstances, those valiant citizens would have been doomed to a tortuous, protracted death, much too far into enemy territory to mount a rescue attempt. However, in a testimony to the valour of the Lion, he stormed headlong into the heart of the enemy's lair, snatching up these steadfast people and saving them from a most undeserved fate."

Devereux gestured towards a section of the crowd over to the right. "Those noble men and women are here today! They join with us to pay tribute to the Lion for his valour and bravery!"

As one, the several hundred personnel that John and the girls had rescued from the Xen'Nuchek mines saluted in respect. John knew that Mateo must be among them, but it was impossible to make out his face amongst the sea of adoring personnel staring his way. He returned their salute and the crowd roared their approval, a surge of applause and cheering throbbing from the grateful audience.

Devereux waited for a long moment, then hushed the crowd again with her upraised hand. An electrifying silence descended again, with a million people waiting breathlessly for her next revelation.

She looked stern as she continued. "The Lion caught up to the fleet of degenerate traitors, who were accompanying a fleet of their twisted alien overlords. Through peerless tactical skill and cunning, both of these blights on the galaxy now lie smashed and broken amongst the stars -- a fitting reward for their despicable deeds. The Lion proved that nowhere is safe from the righteous justice of the Terran Federation, and that villainous acts of treason will be punished accordingly."

The atmosphere at the ceremony subtly shifted to one of grim satisfaction, as the audience learned that the traitors had met an appropriate fate.

Devereux then stood taller, a look of pride on her face. "For me to honour these incredible deeds would have been privilege enough, but that is not the end of the Lion's story -- far from it. Yet again, the Terran Federation was forced to defend itself from unwarranted and unprovoked Kintark aggression, as the Dragon March was invaded by a vast armada. This titanic clash between our civilisations led to the Battle of Regulus, which was the largest fleet engagement in recorded history!"

"Despite the bravery of the Terrans involved in that battle, they were beset on all sides by a sprawling Kintark horde. The lives of hundreds-of-thousands hung in the balance! The Lion charged to the rescue, intervening when the Terran Federation needed him most. He rallied our forces, then led them to a glorious victory, smashing the Kintark menace!"

There was another minute of applause and enthusiastic cheering while Devereux nodded sagely, in wholehearted agreement with the mass of humanity. Raising her hands to call for silence once again, she smiled as she said, "The last time I had the privilege of standing before you to honour John Blake, it was to promote him to Commodore and to award him the Lion Defender medal." Turning to glance at him, she continued, "Now it gives me the greatest pleasure to acknowledge his tireless bravery for a second time."

She beckoned him to join her, so John turned sharply and marched over to climb up the steps of the speaker's podium, before standing at attention beside her at the lectern.

"Billions of citizens owe you their lives and it is humbling for me to be the one to act on their behalf. I honour your incredible deeds by promoting you to Vice-Admiral," Devereux said, her green eyes twinkling as they caught the light. She handed him the eagle insignia surrounded by four golden stars, then saluted him respectfully.

John had expected Lynette to simply confirm his battlefield promotion to Rear-Admiral, so this latest accolade came as somewhat of a surprise. He returned her salute, while accepting his new rank insignia with a smile.

Before he could say anything, she continued, "Commander Fernandez, if you could join us please."

John didn't turn away from the crowd, but his eyes flicked to the left and he saw the look of shock on Calara's face, as she was suddenly the central focus of the award ceremony. She walked up the steps then stood rigidly at attention beside John on the podium.

Admiral Devereux smiled at her kindly then declared, "I promoted you from Lieutenant to Commander for your rooting-out of the Dragon March Traitors. That you possess such a keen analytical mind shows how inspired the Lion was, in choosing you to join him as one of his Lionesses. I also know that it was you who took that fateful shot which destroyed the rogue AI threatening Terra. Thus, standing before me today are the two people directly responsible for protecting our homeworld in its time of greatest need."

Turning to reach for a medal case, she faced them again and smiled as she unclipped the lid. "This award is the highest achievable in the Terran Federation, but considering the sheer scale of the debt owed to you by humanity, it seems a pale reward by comparison. I hope you both see these medals as carrying with them the profound gratitude of every Terran citizen in the galaxy." She smiled as she added, "It is with the very greatest of admiration that I award you both the Stellar Cluster - Commander Fernandez will be the youngest person to have ever receive this medal, while Vice-Admiral Blake is the only man in history to be awarded a second. Congratulations! You are a glorious inspiration to the Terran Federation."

She clipped the medals to their chests before saluting them again. John had heard Calara's startled gasp when Devereux had announced the medal and he could feel how stunned she was without needing to see her. The vast audience of military personnel were quiet as they reacted in unison, a million people forming the same respectful salute as Admiral Devereux. She smiled at the pair, then glanced back to their original places. Taking her cue, they rejoined the girls on the raised dais.

Devereux turned back to her audience and said, "Finally we wish to acknowledge the bravery and sacrifices by the Lion's entire crew, with the Paragons of Terra medal!"

Reaching into the medal case, she raised a golden disc aloft, which was displayed on the view-screens as the holo-cams zoomed in on it. It showed a planet in the background, the distinctive shape of Terra's continents identifying the orb. In the foreground was a broad-maned Lion with a Lioness sitting beside him, four more of the felines flanking them on either side.

Devereux descended the steps from the Podium, then walked along the line clipping the medals onto their chests. She handed the Maliri twins theirs and gave an additional one to John saying quietly, "For the last member of your crew who wasn't able to attend today."

The cameras followed her down the line, zooming in on each of the girl's beautiful faces as it did so. When she reached Rachel, Devereux paused and retrieved a rank insignia from her pocket. Clipping the silver hawk onto the brunette's chest, she said, "Lieutenant Voss, it gives me great pleasure to promote you to Lieutenant Commander, for your exemplary work in developing new treatments for burns. Your revolutionary research has already transformed thousands of lives and I have no doubt that it will prove to be a lasting legacy to the Terran Federation."

Rachel exchanged a salute with the grateful Admiral, a proud smile creeping onto her lips.

When Devereux had finished awarding the rest of them their medals, she returned to her podium. Gesturing to John and the girls, she faced the crowd and called out in a loud voice, "The Lion and his Lionesses, the Pride of the Terran Federation!"

The audience's response was deafening, as Victory Square resonated with the rapturous cheers from the huge gathering of people. Finally relaxing, John grinned at the crowd, and following his lead, the girls beamed radiant smiles as they waved at the adoring public. The sound of the cheers intensified, the crowd delighted to see their reaction. The celebrating went on for a couple of minutes, until Devereux raised her hands a final time to urge the audience to quiet.

"Before we end this Award Ceremony, I would like to say a few words about duty and honour..." Standing proudly, with her head held high, she began, "I was fortunate enough to be present for the defence of Terra and-"

Whatever she said next was drowned out by the upswell of calls from the crowd, incoherent at first, before a million voices managed to synchronise themselves into a relentless chant.

"Li-on, Li-on, Li-on..."

Devereux tried raising her hands for calm, but the crowd had found their voice now and the volume increased. She tried to speak, but her words were swept away, drowned in a sea of adulation for their champion.

"LI-ON, LI-ON, LI-ON..."

Looking shocked, Lynette turned to glance at John, who gave her an embarrassed shrug. Realising that attempting to reason with the eager crowd was pointless, she stepped away from the lectern in a daze, her reluctant invitation clear.

John walked briskly towards the podium and bounded up the steps, smiling at the reeling Admiral as he passed her by, before standing to face the sprawling mass of admirers. He smiled at them as the chants for the Lion to speak quickly faded away, a hushed silence descending on Victory Square. With no time to prepare a speech, he just said the first thing that came to mind.