Three Square Meals Ch. 101

Charles' smile died and he looked equally grim. "I've been reviewing the butcher's bill... the fleet losses are staggering." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's going to take years to rebuild everything we've lost..."

John reached up and squeezed Calara's hand. "Yes, so I've been told." He released her and continued, "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that now. We'll just have to deal with this setback and keep rolling out new ships as fast as we can, while keeping up the refits..."

Slumping in his chair, Charles could only nod his agreement. "We'll focus on repairs first; we need to get as many ships fully operational as possible."

"Speaking of which, we need a place to hole up and repair the Invictus. I haven't had a chance to review the damage yet, but I've been told she took a real pounding in the battle," John said with a wince. "Can you spare us a secure dry dock so we can get everything patched up?"

"Olympus would be a burning ruin if not for Commander Fernandez," Charles said sincerely, looking at the Latina and giving her a respectful nod. "Whatever you need we'll provide for you; engineers, equipment, materials, just name it..."

"I'll ask Dana to send you a list of parts and materials," John said, giving him a grateful smile. "I think it'll take us at least two days to get everything repaired."

Charles' face brightened considerably, "That's very quick! You had me worried for a minute, but the damage can't have been all that bad."

"Well... we've got quite good at fast repairs," Alyssa interjected with an impish smile. "It might be interesting for you to come along and watch..."

"I might just do that," the older officer replied, his moustache twitching with amusement.

John was quiet for a moment as he looked at his old friend. "Charles, about the meeting tomorrow..."

The admiral's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. "Don't even think about trying to convince me to go for Fleet Admiral! The stress would kill me! I've only just hit my fifties and I want to live long enough to enjoy a happy retirement..."

"Fair enough," John replied with a friendly grin. "I'll catch up with you later. I need to check in with Devereux, make sure she's okay."

"Please pass on my regards," Charles replied with a genuine smile. "That was a wonderful surprise to hear she's still alive."

"Will do," John agreed, returning his smile before they closed the call.

Calara brushed her fingers through his hair and asked tentatively, "John, why did you want me to attend that call? I assume Alyssa asked me for a reason?"

He rose from his chair and turned to face her. "I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable. You told me your feelings about the Admiralty, I should have been more considerate..."

She shook her head, her expression growing sterner. "No need to apologise. I'm just glad you said it all so I didn't have to!"

John glanced at Faye and said, "Thanks for your help, honey." When she grinned at him happily, he turned back to Calara and Alyssa, putting his arms around their waists and walking with them down the illuminated steps. "I actually wanted you there for recognition," he explained, hugging the Latina closer. "You saved Terra for a second time... I was making sure they all knew it."

She laughed and hugged him back. "You're not encouraging me to go for Fleet Admiral are you?"

He paused and looked at her with a grin. "Why? Would you like the job?"

Calara gaped at him in shock, then giggled as she thought more about it. "Can you imagine what my family would say?!"

Alyssa gave her a sly wink. "We'd all have to salute you and call you Ma'am..."

The Latina shuddered and quickly shook her head. "The saluting bit would be fun, but being called ma'am is a deal breaker."

Her blonde lover wrinkled her nose with distaste. "Yeah, you'd sound like some old spinster!"

Calara turned to look at John and said, "I'd make a terrible Fleet Admiral if I'm tearing around the galaxy and there's no way I'm leaving your side." She flashed a smile at Alyssa. "And we'll all be retiring in six months anyway..."

"Definitely," John agreed, letting his hand drift down to gently squeeze her firm bottom. He pulled her in for a kiss, then continued, "You should head off to bed, we'll join you soon."

Calara stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Two and waved them goodbye as her lovers descended to Deck Seven.

As John led Alyssa out into the corridor, he said quietly, "I'm glad Calara wasn't curious to know why I wanted you there as well."

"She's a smart girl, she figured it out," the blonde replied, with no small amount of pride in her girlfriend. Alyssa leaned into him as they walked and added, "I bet every single one of those admirals had seen the Kintark video of us in action. If they've watched me throwing Kintark armour around, they'll be quiet as lambs in the High Command meeting tomorrow."

He stopped outside the Medical Bay and looked into her eyes. "Are we going too far here? We basically terrified the Admiralty and threatened them with a horrible death if they've got a murky past..."

Alyssa shrugged nonchalantly. "You could have just fired them all and declared yourself Emperor. I think you've actually been quite reserved considering the total clusterfuck they've made of running the Terran Federation for the last... several hundred... years."

"Well I suppose I gave them a way out," John conceded. "Hopefully tomorrow won't get messy..."

"I'm all for a bit of karmic justice," the blonde said with an indifferent shrug. "Weber's living nightmare was only that bad because of all the awful stuff he'd done. He basically punished himself."

John cupped her cheek and gently caressed her. "This is really personal for you, isn't it?"

Alyssa clenched her fists in barely suppressed fury. "I've had it with bastards like them! They abuse their strength or authority to do whatever they like without consequences! I know, John... I was forced to put up with that shit for years! Now I'm more powerful than any of them and it's payback time... for all the people they fucked over!"

"The ones that resign... you're not going to leave it at that, are you?" he asked perceptively.

"They'll be fine," she said, her expression going neutral. "For a few months... When High Command is sorted out and everything's stable, then they'll need to start looking over their shoulder. I'll ask Irillith to do some snooping and if any of them were involved in anything heinous like Weber... well, I might just pay them a visit..."

He was quiet for a long moment, then said sympathetically, "We've never really talked about what happened to you on Karron... back before you met Sparks."

"I don't want to... ever," she said firmly. Her cerulean eyes softened and she gave him a tender kiss. "I'm not that vulnerable little orphan any more, John. You saved me from all that; changed me into the woman I am today. I'll never forget what you did for me..."

He put his arms around her and said quietly, "You saved me too... I consider us more than even."

They kissed and shared a smile, before Alyssa glanced at the door to the Medical Bay. "Better not keep the admiral waiting any longer..."

John reached around her to hit the button by the door, then they parted and entered the room. Rachel was standing by her solitary patient, who was lying with her back elevated on the anti-grav gurney. Admiral Lynette Devereux had more colour than the last time John had seen her and she was watching a holo-video of the recent battle in open-mouthed astonishment.

"Good to see you back in the land of the living, Admiral," John said cheerfully as he walked over to her bedside.

She paused the video and turned her head to look at him, a succession of emotions flashing across her face. He saw happiness, awe... then fear in her hazel eyes. "I... I don't know how to thank you... for saving me."

"No thanks necessary," John said as he covered her hand with his. "I'm so sorry you got shot trying to contact me for help. You were very brave going up against Buckingham like that." He glanced at the brunette standing opposite. "Jade hunted Weber down and found you, then Rachel healed the worst of your injuries."

Alyssa smiled at her warmly and stroked her shoulder. "We thought you'd been killed. We're all very relieved you made it."

Devereux's gaze dropped to the blankets covering her. "I-I can't feel my legs..."

"The gunshots to your back hit your lungs and spine," Rachel said gently, her voice kind and comforting. "There was massive damage but I've hea-"

"I'm paralysed?!" Devereux interrupted, looking up at the young doctor in horror.

"Lynette, look at me," John said firmly.

She turned his way and he could see how terrified she was at the thought of never being able to walk again.

"Everything's going to be okay, I promise," he said soothingly. "Rachel can heal everything so that you'll be as good as new, but she's tired after the battle and needs some time to recover first."

Devereux's gaze flicked to the holo-video. "I saw what happened..." She glanced up at Rachel with that look of awe on her face again. "You just walked amongst those wounded soldiers... you healed them all!"

"I used up a lot of energy doing all that healing this morning," Rachel explained. "I healed the damage to your lungs to keep you stable, and I'll repair your spine later this afternoon once I've rested."

The older woman visibly relaxed and sighed with relief. "Thank you..."

John pulled over a chair and sat beside her. "There's a few things I'd like to discuss with you, but if you're too tired or want to wait until you're fully healed, that's no problem."

She shook her head. "I need to find out what's been happening... I don't know how long I've been unconscious. I've watched the battle footage but that didn't tell me the whole story."

"Well as you've seen from the video, the Kintark attacked Terra with everything they had. They bombed Unity City, sacked the Citadel, and caused a huge amount of damage to the Terran fleets, until we arrived and stopped them," John explained, his expression grim. "Buckingham was killed by the Kintark Emperor and we lost a number of admirals in the fleet battle."

"Do you know who?" she asked quietly.

Alyssa tilted her head to one side as she listened to Calara. "Five were killed in the fighting: Mishra, Turner, Poznanski, Manolis, and Dimitrov. We executed Weber after hunting him down in Tartarus."

Devereux's face fell, her eyes filled with grief. "I liked Jayanti even though she was allied with Buckingham, I can't believe she's gone... and Sergei I've been friends with for years..."

John and the girls stayed quiet for a few minutes, giving her a chance to come to terms with her loss.

She let out a heavy sigh, then said, "I know you were working with Charles to refit all the fleets... What are you going to do now so many ships have been destroyed?"

John carefully studied her face. "How much do you know about the other Progenitor?"

Devereux hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Not much... just little bits that Charles let slip when he thought I already knew. There's someone else like you isn't there? He's hostile and a threat to the Terran Federation?"

"Yes, we believe so," John replied quietly. "He's been working behind the scenes, pulling strings and causing trouble for the Ashanath, the Trankarans, and now the Terran Federation. We know that he manipulated the Kintark, using them as pawns to try and destroy the Federation. They would have succeeded if we hadn't arrived in time to rally and lead the Terran survivors to victory."

"My God..." Devereux murmured, shocked to the core.

"We suspect that he's attempting to destabilise all the surrounding empires before he steps in to wipe everyone out, but we aren't sure why... He has a huge tech advantage, so I don't know why he hasn't simply invaded already," John admitted with a helpless shrug.

She watched him for a moment, before cautiously asking, "Charles mentioned that you've been making allies; trying to unite everyone against this Progenitor?"

John nodded and replied, "So far the Maliri, the Trankarans, and the Ashanath have all thrown in their full support behind me. The Ashanath took some horrific losses when the Drakkar attacked their homeworld, so I've been helping them to rebuild and upgrade their fleets. The Trankarans are besieged by the Kirrix, but I asked the Maliri to send ships to help them liberate their worlds. Chancellor Niskera is working with me... she's become the Trankaran's Glowing Queen and has rallied the Senate behind her, putting the Republic on a full war footing."

Devereux's eyes flickered, as she picked up on his slight pause. "Queen Niskera is working with you... or for you?"

He met her perceptive gaze and replied honestly, "A little bit of both."

"What about the Maliri?" she asked in a hushed voice. "I saw one of their fleets on the holo-vid. Charles mentioned you had a strong alliance with them; that you had friends in charge of the Regency?"

"Queen Edraele Valaden leads the Maliri now," John replied, impressed at how much she was able to piece together. "They've recently renamed their empire to the Maliri Protectorate..."

Devereux mulled that over for a moment then her eyes widened in astonishment. "You're their Protector! They renamed their empire after you!"

He smiled at her and nodded. "Edraele and I are very close. Her twin daughters are part of my crew."

"The armoured Lionesses at the award ceremony!" she blurted out. "You must know what the Maliri really look like!"

"Yes, I've known for some time," he confirmed with a smile. "I'll introduce you to Irillith and Tashana Valaden later this afternoon and you can see for yourself."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Devereux marvelled. "I've spoken to Charles; I'm sure this is much more than he was aware of."

John looked at her intently. "With Buckingham gone, I was hoping that you'd be interested in becoming the new Fleet Admiral. I trust you and you've proven yourself as an ally. I'm more than willing to offer you my support in the election if you want it."

"If I work for you..." Devereux said, the suspicion clear in her eyes.

He shook his head. "No, not at all. To be quite honest, I'm sure you'd be able to win the election without my help. Calara basically saved Terra, and you were the only one who attempted to call us for assistance against the Kintark; you'll be able to exploit that for a landslide victory. I hope you'd want to work with me and bring the Terran Federation into my alliance but I'm not going to coerce you into doing anything."

"You want me to be the Fleet Admiral, but I can tell there's more to it than that..." she stated, her curiosity piqued.

John nodded, meeting her curious gaze. "As we discussed earlier, Rachel can heal you this afternoon and have you back to normal in no time. She'll heal your injuries and also give you a complete physical, curing any problems she finds."

Rachel smiled at her and said, "I'll be able to add at least another ten years to your natural life expectancy. By this afternoon, you'll be in better shape than you have been in years."

Sagging back on the bed, Devereux looked at them in amazement. "I don't know what to say, I never expected this for one moment. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Rachel said, giving her a warm smile.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow as she interjected, "Hold on... we haven't got to the really good part yet. Instead of Rachel healing you, there's another much more fun option you could take..."

Devereux looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The blonde gave her a sparkling smile. "If you're interested, John would be happy to give you the deluxe upgrade..."

The admiral turned to look at him again, an odd mix of fear and fascination in her hazel eyes. She suddenly remembered the dramatic transformation of Admiral Lynton had undergone after being with the other Progenitor. "Gabrielle... you're offering to do the same for me..."

John paused for a moment, then met her gaze and nodded. "Both Rachel and I can heal you, but if I do it, you'll end up with the kind of body the girls have."

Alyssa slipped off her shirt then spread her arms and did a slow pirouette, letting Devereux stare at her spectacular figure. "You'll look just like this..."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Devereux murmured, "There's got to be a catch..."

"You put your life on the line for the Terran Federation," John said earnestly. "I want to reward you for helping us, for trying to do what's best for humanity."

Alyssa brushed her fingers through Devereux's grey-streaked brown hair. "I know you've had to make painful sacrifices for your career. You really wanted to have a family when you were young, but you gave up that dream to pursue another... your ambition to become Fleet Admiral. Now you can have both..."

"How did you know?" the older woman asked in a hushed whisper. "I've never told anyone that..."

"I'm a telepath, I read your mind months ago, just after we defeated Nexus. We needed to know if we could trust you..." the blonde explained. She smiled as she added, "You passed the test. That's why we told you about the Dragon March traitors."

John held Devereux's hand and said, "If you choose to accept this offer, I'll be able to give you your youth back and make a number of additional enhancements to your body and mind. You're already a very capable and intelligent woman, but I can help make you even smarter. You'll also be stronger and fitter than you ever were before, just like the rest of my Lionesses..."

Alyssa gave her a conspiratorial wink. "But you'd be a secret Lioness..."

"Secret?" Devereux mumbled in a daze, overwhelmed by the thought.

"We could supply you with tiny portable holo-transmitters to conceal your new appearance," John explained. "We did something similar for the Maliri twins to mask their features when they visited Terra."

Alyssa smiled at her and said, "Alternatively, you could say you had a full bodysculpt procedure done. However, you might find it difficult to project gravitas if you look like a Lioness. Let's face it, we look like swimwear models... can you imagine High Command taking you seriously as a smoking-hot twenty-something?"

"I'd really look like you?" Devereux whispered in awe as she glanced at Alyssa then Rachel.

"Yep! You'll be able to wind the clock back thirty years," Alyssa said with an impish grin. "You could spend ten years as Fleet Admiral, then retire and still have the family you always wanted."

"I've made a similar kind of arrangement with Niskera," John explained, watching Devereux's reaction. "She wants to serve as the Trankaran Queen for as long as they need her, then she'll eventually retire. Whether she chooses to stay within the Trankaran Republic, or join us in Maliri Space will be entirely up to her."

Alyssa nodded enthusiastically. "She's empathically connected to me, so I can tell what emotions she's feeling. If something bad happened and she got in trouble, we'd know and could come and rescue her. It would be the same for you, at least at first."

"The connection between us and Queen Edraele has grown much stronger," John explained. "She can speak to either Alyssa or me telepathically."

"You've installed puppet rulers in those empires!" Devereux gasped, staring at him in shock. "You want me to be your puppet leader of the Terran Federation!"

Alyssa shook her head. "You wouldn't be a puppet, just a very close ally. We'd have complete trust in each other and in exchange you get one hell of a benefits package!"

John rose to his feet and gave Devereux a sympathetic smile. "I appreciate we've given you an awful lot to think about, Lynette. Don't worry about offending me if you decided to turn me down; Rachel will heal you regardless as well as do the health check she mentioned."