Three Square Meals Ch. 101

She gave him a relieved smile. "I'll have to tell her that."

"You should go and get some rest, I'll join you in a few minutes," he said affectionately.

Dana nodded and hugged them both goodbye before strolling out of the Ready Room with a spring in her step.

When the door closed behind her, John turned to look at Alyssa. "Thanks for the timely assistance. It was horrible seeing Dana so distraught; she had me really worried there..."

"You had it all under control; you would have made everything better again," she replied confidently, running her hand across his chest. "I was worried too, so I was waiting outside... listening. I heard you talking her round, but I didn't want you taking all the blame yourself to do it... you've got enough shit to deal with already."

John leaned heavily against his desk, a pensive expression on his face.

Alyssa gave him a look of sympathy, then leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder. "I was too late, wasn't I?"

"It's not that..." he replied, his expression deeply troubled. "A million Kintark dead and I didn't even give them a second thought... all I was concerned about was that Dana was upset."

"It was all true about Irillith finding their plans for death camps," Alyssa said earnestly. "Grand Prelate Melkadian was just as xenophobic as Admiral Weber. He was obsessed with making sure reptilian life was dominant in the galaxy... Irillith found all sorts of crazy shit in his logs."

"Yeah, I believe you, they were bad guys... But that's not what's worrying me now," John admitted, as he looked into her bright blue eyes. Unable to meet her inquisitive gaze, he sounded ashamed as he continued, "The Kintark allied with the other Progenitor, so I considered their species... expendable..."

"We were at war with them..." Alyssa said softly. "They fucked up and picked the wrong side... It's not like they're a bunch of little kids you're supposed to be looking after."

John turned and looked out the window at the blanket of stars. "I had a similar conversation with Faye not long ago, about dealing with the Kirrix once and for all. I've been trying not to go down the Progenitor path, but I can't help thinking in those terms... and it's been happening more often." He glanced back at her and she could see the anxiety in his eyes. "What if my guide is breaking free of that mental prison... influencing me again? I don't want that confrontation yet..."

"Why not?" she asked, studying him carefully. "You're strong now, much stronger than ever before. You could probably take him out without too much trouble."

"Probably..." John said, nodding as he returned her gaze. "But that's the big problem right there... I don't know for sure. If I fail, you'll be left facing an enraged, fully-fledged Progenitor. You're all connected to me, so he could just suck the life force right out of you. I can't afford to take any risks... I must beat him!"

Alyssa stepped back a pace, then her eyes began to glow with a radiant white light. Her expression was tense as she closed her eyes and concentrated for a few seconds, her mind reaching out to make contact with his.

She suddenly relaxed and met his anxious gaze, sounding relieved as she said, "That mind-prison's still there. He's still locked-up tight."

"So it's me that has no problem with exterminating my enemies then?" John asked, looking at her in alarm. "That's even worse!"

"You haven't actually done anything like that though!" Alyssa insisted, grabbing his arms and staring into his eyes. "There's a world of difference between not having any sympathy for bad guys and actively annihilating a species! You worry about it because you have a conscience; do you think your guide would think twice about committing genocide?"

He sighed and slowly shook his head. "I'm sure he'd have no qualms about taking it a step further..."

Alyssa leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. "You're going to have to face him eventually, you can't put this off forever. There was a sense of peace for me... in resolving things with Athena. You need that closure; your mind is literally split in two right now."

John sat quietly, looking out at the stars again. "There's something else bothering me as well. It's selfish, but I don't want to face oblivion without answers... I need to know what happened to her..."

"Your mother?" she murmured, her voice filled with sympathy.

"Yes, Jessica Blake... and my father too, whoever he is... I need to know," he murmured, decades-old pain flashing across his face.

"It won't be long," Alyssa said with conviction. "We'll sort things out here, then go on a diversion into Kirrix Space. We'll get you those answers."

John gave her a smile filled with gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you, beautiful. After all those years alone, I never thought..." His voice caught, and he coughed with embarrassment.

Her blue-eyed gaze softened and she brushed her lips against his in a soul-searing kiss. *I love you so much,* she thought to him, able to convey so much more with her thoughts and shared emotions than mere words.

*I love you too,* he replied, throwing himself into their connection as they kissed.

When they finally parted, they were both a little shocked by the intensity of that passion. They gazed into each other's eyes as their minds withdrew, revelling in the echoes of that intimate contact.

"Feel better?" Alyssa asked him with a shy smile.

"Much," he replied with a fond smile of his own. It faded as he admitted, "I've still got lots on my mind, but I feel closer to you than ever."

Alyssa looked at him coyly and began unbuttoning her shirt.

"I'd love to, but I was with Jade only a few minutes ago," John ruefully said.

She shook her head and reached for his hand. "If you've still got worrying stuff on your mind, I haven't done a good enough job of distracting you..." The mischievous blonde guided his hand inside her shirt, so his fingers were brushing her toned stomach. "We've got another much more fun problem to discuss..."

John caressed her trim tummy, feeling the softness of her skin over the perfect definition of her abdominal muscles. He'd fed her so much cum over the last six months, and she'd literally lived on nothing else for those first few weeks, as he helped her grow healthy and strong. Ultimately, she'd bless him with the ultimate possession of her body and carry his baby in her womb... he found that thought quite intoxicating.

"Babies... plural!" Alyssa prompted him with a playful pout, having been listening attentively to his thoughts.

"Please accept my sincere apology," John murmured, caressing her gloriously lithe figure.

She smiled at him indulgently. "Now I've got your complete attention, there is something we need to discuss. It's actually related; I didn't just get you to start stroking my stomach because I know how much you like it."

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Related? What do you mean?"

"I heard everything you discussed with Calara, so I know you want to charge off to the Kirrix border in a few days," Alyssa replied, meeting his curious gaze. "That doesn't give you long to fill up some deserving tummies..."

John looked thoughtful as he said, "I've already made a start with Jade's sisters. They're much calmer now that I've agreed to be their master and they each look like my 'perfect mate'. I want to spend a bit of time with each of them and establish a connection, then I can start work on giving them their freedom..."

"They'll never want to leave you once you start feeding them, not when they realise you can get them pregnant... but I was actually going to suggest waiting a few days with the Nymphs," she replied, interlacing her fingers with his over her toned stomach. "You've got a backlog of deserving girls to work through first..."

"Jehanna?" John asked, nodding his agreement. "Yeah, she's still very determined to join us. After what she's just been through, I'm not going to make her wait any longer."

"She's a really lovely girl. I can't wait to welcome her into the family," Alyssa said with a wistful smile. "But she's not right at the top of the XO's urgent list..."

"She isn't?" John frowned in confusion, until he smiled with sudden understanding. "Ah, you mean Helene! Yeah, I've grown really fond of her already. When she's connected to us, we can start building up her confidence."

Alyssa grinned at him and shook her head. "Nope! I wasn't referring to our adorable mermaid either..."

***

Faye waited nervously on the Bridge, hoping that John would be back soon. It seemed that with Fleet Admiral Buckingham dead, all the Terran admirals were desperately looking for direction and she'd been contacted by no less than 25 members of the Admiralty, all asking to speak to John.

Calara stepped out of the grav-tube and quickly ascended the Command Podium. "Hey, Faye," she said with a warm smile.

The purple sprite beamed at her and eagerly welcomed her hug. "Are you feeling better now?"

The Latina nodded as they separated. "John has a way of cutting straight through to the heart of a problem. Talking to him helped settle a lot of my worries."

"I know just what you mean!" Faye agreed, nodding exuberantly. She cocked her head to one side and continued, "John's been sending all the girls to bed. Aren't you tired after the battle?"

Calara rubbed at her weary eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, I used up a lot of psychic energy in that fight. I could really do with some sleep..."

Faye looked at her quizzically.

"So why am I here?" the brunette asked, stifling a yawn. "Alyssa wanted me to attend..."

The door to the Ready Room swished open, with John leading Alyssa up to join the two girls on the Command Podium. Alyssa hugged her girlfriend, then they stood to either side of the Command Chair as John took his seat.

"Faye, please open up a holo-conference to every available member of the Admiralty," John requested as he settled in his chair.

"I'm on it!" she said cheerfully, making dozens of calls.

Alyssa placed her hand on his shoulder. *Devereux's just woken up. Rachel's with her now.*

He glanced up at her and nodded. *Thanks for letting me know. I'll go and speak to her after this call.*

One by one the Terran Federation admirals appeared, nine of whom looked haggard after the fierce fighting in the Battle of Terra, but the rest looked anxious too. There were several-dozen present by the time Faye had finished connecting everyone, each watching John quietly, obviously waiting for him to lead the meeting. He could see several familiar faces amongst the highest-ranking officers in the Federation and Charles smiled at him when he made brief eye contact.

"That's all of them!" Faye said in a hushed whisper, before stepping discreetly out of the way.

John smiled at her in acknowledgement, then turned his attention back to the Admirals. "Thank you for joining, everyone. I'm sure you all know who I am, so I won't bother introducing myself." He glanced up to his left and continued, "For any of you who don't know my two Lionesses, this is Calara Fernandez; she took command of the Battle for Terra half-way through and managed to claw back a victory for our side."

He paused to look at Caldwell, who flushed at the veiled rebuke but chose not to say anything.

Looking up to his right, John continued, "This is Alyssa Marant, she's my Executive Officer. Alyssa helped me lift the siege on the Citadel and take down the Emperor. I'm sure you've seen her in action during the footage the Kintark broadcast from Terra."

By the hushed silence, it was clear that the admirals all had a pretty good idea who both women were and what they were capable of.

John let out a heavy sigh. "We won a tactical victory today, but overall, it was a strategic disaster. The Terran Federation fleets have been mauled far beyond the point of decimation. Yes, the Kintark came out of this even worse, but the really tragic part is that our losses in the Sol system were completely unnecessary."

He leaned forward in his chair. "Which is what I need to talk to you about today... I'd like to think that I've been nothing but a steadfast ally to the Federation, having won significant victories for us in the Dragon March, saved Terra from Nexus, then crushed the Kintark ambush at Regulus. So why wouldn't you contact me and let me know about the Kintark invasion? Review the battle logs of the fight at Olympus, and you'll see how this war could have ended if you'd just called us for assistance..."

Eleanor Maybridge cleared her throat and said quietly, "Most of us didn't know, John. I only found out late last night..."

"Most, but not all," John said, his tone damning. "I only know of one person who attempted to warn me that this unmitigated disaster was looming and Lynette Devereux was shot for her bravery." He leaned back in his chair and continued, "I'm sure you'll all be greatly relieved to hear that she's alive... we rescued her from one of Buckingham's high-security prisons."

There were gasps of shock as the admirals reacted to that bit of news, but John had his eyes on one person as he made the announcement. Fortunately for the continued good health of Edwin Caldwell, he looked just as stunned as the rest of the Admiralty.

John let them settle down before speaking again. "I hope it doesn't come as a surprise to any of you that Buckingham is dead. Emperor Baledranax saved me the trouble of punishing him for his terrible crimes against humanity." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Which leaves the Terran Federation without a Fleet Admiral, at a time when we sorely need decisive leadership..."

Caldwell looked horrified for a moment, until he slumped in his chair and said with weary resignation, "I suppose this is the part where you offer to take control...?"

Looking at him sharply, John shook his head. "Absolutely not! I have no interest in becoming Fleet Admiral and never have." Sitting up straighter, he looked at his audience. "If you've watched the battle footage around the Citadel, you know I'm no ordinary Terran; I made no effort today to hide some of the things I'm capable of. I am still half-Terran though and I'm loyal to the Federation, which I believe I've proven on multiple occasions now."

Shaking his head, he sounded disappointed as he continued, "But things can't continue the way they have been. After Weber deserted his post during the battle, we tracked him back to Tartarus... Buckingham's secret research base on Ganymede. They were performing despicable experiments on sentient aliens and Terran citizens..."

He went quiet as there was another round of shocked and indignant exclamations, although John was sure that some of them were theatrics to avoid revealing their involvement.

Sweeping a glance along the holographic rows of uniformed officers, John said sternly, "As members of the Admiralty, I expect you to be leading the Terran Federation by example. Some of the recent actions by Buckingham and Weber have been beyond the pale, and we cannot continue in that manner. We're going to need a new Fleet Admiral, so now's the perfect time to do a bit of spring cleaning in the Admiralty. I'd like to meet with as many members of High Command as possible tomorrow, so we can discuss the replacement of the valiant officers that fell during today's battle."

"During that process, if any of you have been involved in illegal activity, I will find out. So if you have done anything that you'd rather not have revealed very publically, I'd urge you to tender your resignations tonight. We'll be working together for the benefit of humanity in the future, so if you'd rather not get involved, I'd also urge you to consider retirement. You don't have to give the reasons either way, but please save all of us a great deal of unpleasantness by bowing out gracefully. You have my pledge that there'll be no repercussions from me, for anyone choosing to resign tonight..."

Caldwell had been listening attentively and his expression was dour as he muttered, "I don't respond well to being threatened. What gives you the right to stand judgement over any of us?"

John shrugged. "Because with a few notable exceptions, you've been doing a terrible job. I have the capability to do something about it, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Shaking his head, Caldwell said, "But, you can't-"

"I can and I will," John interrupted, his expression turning cold and hard. "Despite me saving the Terran Federation from disaster on numerous occasions, as well as handing over a huge boon in alien technology, Buckingham chose to attack my friends and associates. His inner circle were all present when I warned them not to try it, but they chose to ignore that warning."

He glanced at Faye and whispered, "Get ready to play back Weber's last moments..."

Turning back to the admirals, he continued, "Weber was working as Buckingham's attack dog, overseeing highly-illegal experiments on Tartarus. He's been behind a host of despicable actions, including the abduction and torture of a TFNN journalist, simply because she was my friend. Then, after I put out the appeal for information on living Nymphs, Weber captured several of them to keep me from reuniting them with their sister. He planned to let his deranged lead-scientist perform all sorts of horrific experiments on the Nymphs, compounding the centuries of abuse those poor creatures have already suffered at Terran hands."

Eyes narrowing in anger, John said, "Weber chose to attack me through my friends, so we've punished him for his crimes. If any of you have a weak constitution, I'd recommend looking away now..."

Faye began to play back the footage, Weber's bloodcurdling screams echoing around the Bridge. The admirals blanched as they stared at Weber in shock, watching in horrified disbelief as he proceeded to claw his own eyes out to escape from the terrifying visions that haunted him. When he expired with a sickening gurgle, Faye shut off the video, the only sound breaking the deathly silence was Admiral Caldwell retching.

"Torture, rape, murder... if any of you have committed any serious crimes, we'll find out, and I promise you, there will be consequences," John said firmly. "For anyone tendering their resignation tonight, I'll assume you simply wish an early retirement after the stress of the Battle of Terra. It would be an honourable end to your career, and as I said earlier, with no repercussions."

He was met with only stunned silence for a long moment, but as the shock wore off, he watched the admirals' expressions start to change. A handful blanched and looked terrified, others just looked badly shaken, but he was pleased to see looks of approval from at least a dozen members of the Admiralty.

"I propose meeting with High Command on Olympus Shipyard at 2:00 pm tomorrow afternoon. We can discuss the election of a new Fleet Admiral as well as filling the vacant posts. Does anyone disagree, or have any questions they'd like to ask?" John inquired, looking at the members of his audience in turn and waiting patiently for an answer. When none were forthcoming, he gave them a respectful bow of his head. "Thank you for your time, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll see you tomorrow."

The admirals began to drop from the holo-conference until it was just Charles left. He glanced at the display to check he was the last person, then broke into a laugh. "John... I don't know what to say!"

John flushed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I hope it wasn't too much?"

Shaking his head in disbelief Charles replied, "The Admiralty's needed something like that for years... I just never thought for one moment that it would be my old marine Commander slapping them into line!"

"I'm worried it's too late," John said, his expression sober. "You know what we're facing... I needed all the Terran fleets refitted and ready, but now..."