Three Square Meals Ch. 107

"That sounds sensible," Jade agreed, interlacing her fingers with his.

Faye appeared in a purple flash, her translucent wings thrumming with excitement. "Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but you requested I let you know as soon as we'd identified Maria's new neighbours!"

"Who are they?" John asked with concern. "Is Maria in danger?"

The purple sprite shook her head a big grin on her face. "Maria was right! Their names are Commander Joel Sharp and Lt Commander Faith Marshall, both covert operatives from the Internal Security Division."

She blinked and a holo-projection appeared, showing the pictures and personnel profiles of the two ISD operatives. They each had nearly a decade of experience working as specialist close protection officers, with numerous citations for bravery and threat neutralisation.

"Lynette..." John said with a knowing smile.

Faye bobbed her head. "Yep! Once we'd searched through the T-Fed military archives for a facial match and found the operatives, it was relatively easy to track down the Fleet Admiral's executive order to watch over Maria."

Alyssa hooked her arm around his. "Calara's really relieved that there's a team there to protect her mother; she's just calling Maria now to let her know."

He relaxed and nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"Do you want me to thank Lynette?" the blonde asked.

John hesitated, then smiled at Faye. "Please could you patch me into Calara's call with Maria?"

"Sure, no problem!" the purple sprite cheerfully replied.

***

Tom Walker tapped his finger on the console of his desk, waiting impatiently for the call to go through. The contact name "Lieutenant Commander Kyle McDaniel" pulsed on the holo-interface as the connection was routed through the network of Comms Beacons. After an interminably long delay, the winged sword of the Terran Federation faded, to be replaced by a stocky, auburn-haired man wearing a marine officer's uniform, his mouth framed by a neat goatee.

"Walker!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "You son-of-a-bitch, how's it going?"

"Good to see you too, Mac," Tom replied, smiling when he heard that thick Scottish accent. "I'm doing fine... How about you? Been wrestling any drunken Ornaliths recently?"

Kyle let out a belly laugh. "Damn, I haven't thought about that in ages... getting slugged by those three-armed bastards was like getting pounded by a sledgehammer! What was it? Five years ago?"

"Six... we were fresh out of the Academy," Tom replied with a lop-sided smile. "I've still got the scars to prove it."

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten..." his old friend replied, a look of sincere gratitude in his eyes. "You and Mace were the only ones who had my back... everyone else scarpered." Kyle suddenly raised an eyebrow, a shrewd look in his eyes. "Now, you wouldn't be mentioning that little incident unless you're calling in a favour... What's the matter? It must be something serious."

Tom grimaced and let out a troubled sigh. "Yeah, it's not just a social call... I need your help. I'm probably just being paranoid, but I'm worried about Anna; she just lost her father and there's a guy 'consoling' her."

Kyle frowned and shook his head. "There's no way in hell she's cheating on you, Walker. She thinks the sun shines out of your arse!"

"Davenport's been stalking her for years. Anna thinks he's harmless, but she's vulnerable at the moment and her guard will be down," Tom said, worry flitting across his face. "I trust Anna, but I wouldn't put it past that asshole to try anything to break us up..."

"Yeah, I get you," Kyle said, his expression darkening. "Want me to fuck him up?"

Tom hesitated then slowly shook his head. "I always got bad vibes off the guy, but I've got no evidence that he's done anything that would warrant a beating. Besides, he's Commander rank and also based at Northridge Command Complex, so we'll have to tread lightly."

"Commander Davenport... Yeah, the name vaguely rings a bell," Kyle muttered with a frown. He gave his friend an apologetic smile. "Northridge is huge, we've got over 200,000 personnel here... I'm afraid I don't know the guy personally."

"That's alright, I'm just concerned about Anna." Tom met the broad-shouldered marine's curious gaze. "With a bit of luck, I'll be back on Terra in three weeks. Do you think you could keep an eye on her for me until then?"

Kyle gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course!"

"I really appreciate it, Mac," Tom said, relaxing in his chair.

"I've got your back on this, don't worry. I'll catch up with Anna this afternoon and invite her out for drinks with my friends... we'll keep her out of trouble for you," Kyle said, running his forefinger and thumb down his goatee as he mulled over his plan. His smile turned wicked as he added, "And I'll look into Commander Archie Davenport for you too."

"You're a lifesaver, thank you."

"No problem." Kyle winked at him. "I'll just be glad to finally even the score."

They nodded to one another, then ended the call. Tom stared at the winged sword icon for a moment, lost in his memories of that night 6 years ago. He could still remember the stale smell of sweat and beer in that bar on Ihlos IV, and the sound of the snorting roars from a drunken Ornalith. It had taken offence at Kyle's ginger goatee, grabbed the unsuspecting marine and broke his leg with a wild blow from a trunk-like arm.

Tom and Mason had rushed to their friend's side without a second thought, but the other three ensigns they'd been with had all fled, more concerned about being brought up on charges for brawling. Punching the enraged silicon-based creature in the face had been like slamming his fist into a brick wall, but Tom managed to distract it long enough for Mason to help Kyle crawl to safety. By the time the local police arrived to break up the fight, Tom had earned himself four shattered ribs, broken knuckles in his right hand, and the eternal friendship of Kyle McDaniel.

Turning off the comms interface, Tom rose to his feet and left his quarters. He was on duty up on the Bridge of the heavy carrier Janus in ten minutes and he didn't want to be late, especially with Captain Bexley reviewing his Tactical treatise that afternoon. It had been good to speak to Kyle and a relief to do something proactive regarding the Archie situation, but Tom was unable to shake a troubling sense of foreboding that had been nagging him for days.

Walking into an open elevator, he found two more of the Bridge crew waiting inside, also on their way up to the Command Deck to start their shift. They acknowledged him with friendly greetings and the trio made light-hearted conversation as the lift ascended through the decks. A chime alerted them that they'd reached their destination and Tom strode out onto the Bridge, making his way around the Command Podium.

Mason was sitting at the Janus' Executive Officer's Station and Tom grinned at him as he passed. "Good morning, Commander Newmont."

"Good morning to you, Lieutenant Commander Walker," Mason replied, matching his formal greeting, but unable to suppress the hint of a smile.

Tom was pleased to see his friend's mood lifting; for the last couple of days Mason had been grieving for his father and this was the first time he could remember him smiling. Walking towards his Tactical Station, Tom passed the heavy carrier's flight control team and saw several officers tracking wings of fighters as they performed patrols around the system. The Janus was currently carrying a full complement of Rapier fighters, but he'd heard from Mason that the first squadron of Claymore's was being sent to the fleet. After seeing them in action during the Battle of Terra, their arrival was hotly anticipated.

Leaning against Tactical, Tom smiled at the Asian man who was staring intently at the holographic Sector Map floating above his console. "Hey, Chen. Did I miss anything exciting?"

The tactical officer looked up in surprise. "Damn! Is it that time already?"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's got you so engrossed?"

Chen carefully brushed his fingers over the edge of the holo-controls and made a pulling gesture towards his chest. The Sector Map pivoted as it mirrored the movements of his hand, so it was now facing towards Tom. "I've been watching Brimorian fleet movements all night long!"

"Can you show me an accelerated recap?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the map.

The holograph was centred on the Blue-white star of the Alpha Crusis system, one of four that had been captured from the Brimorians in the sweep of stars known as the Callopean Shoals. Admiral Morgan's fleet was holding position here, within easy striking range of the neutral zone between the two unfriendly empires. A sophisticated sensor grid had been concealed within asteroid belts in those four systems, giving a good picture of Brimorian fleet movements close to the border. There were some quite disturbing changes since Tom had last seen the map...

Chen began the playback from the start of his night shift and Tom saw the familiar disposition of the Brimorian fleets. Unlike the four Terran-owned systems of the Callopean Shoals, the remaining thirteen systems under Enclave control were all colonised, their undersea cities teeming with Brimorian citizens. The Enclave's forces were therefore split into two-dozen small fleets, their dispersal designed to prevent minor incursions across their border, rather than setup to face a major fleet engagement.

Tom watched the night's activity in fascination, as the alien vessels began a complex series of manoeuvres. Over half of the Brimorian forces withdrew completely, while the remainder clustered together, forming a single large fleet directly opposing the Terran Federation forces.

"It looks like they're readying themselves for a fleet engagement, but they just pulled half their forces off the border..." Tom muttered, staring intently at the sensor contacts.

"I know!" Chen said with an eager nod. "I checked in with the Momus; the consensus over there is that the Brimorians are just doing a bit of aggressive posturing, but they removed half their ships to avoid a serious escalation on the border." He frowned, glancing at Admiral Morgan's battleship on the map. "I'm not sure I agree with them, but I haven't been able to come up with a better explanation yet."

Narrowing his eyes, Tom could only nod his agreement. "What the hell are those slippery bastards up to?"

***

Charles kept his fingers steepled as he listened to the angry Internal Security officer.

"The situation is intolerable, Admiral Harris!" the blond colonel growled, trying to keep a lid on his temper. "How are we supposed to protect the Fleet Admiral with all these restrictions in place?!"

"My hands are tied, Colonel Fiske," Charles replied calmly, tapping his index fingers together. "The request for absolute privacy came from the Fleet Admiral herself."

Clenching his fists in anger, Fiske snapped, "But Sir, Buckingham granted us permission to maintain constant surveillance inside his quarters! What if an assassin managed to penetrate our defensive teams and break into her suite? We wouldn't even know she was under attack!"

Giving him a look of sympathy, Charles said, "Devereux doesn't have to abide to conventions established by her predecessor; you know as well as I do that she has absolute authority here." He shrugged and continued, "Just increase your vigilance around the Senior Officers' decks to prevent entry by intruders; that's where she'll be spending most of her time. On the few occasions that the Fleet Admiral has gone anywhere public, she's had a full security detail accompanying her."

The colonel bit back a sharp reply and stood there simmering with anger for a moment. After collecting himself, he changed tack, leaning closer and saying furtively, "There's something else too, Admiral. I've noticed something quite disturbing..."

His curiosity piqued, Charles raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."

"There's some kind of jamming device in her quarters!" Fiske blurted out, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "It's blocking the very best scanning equipment we have at our disposal!"

"Colonel Fiske, did you just confess to deliberately countermanding a direct order by the Fleet Admiral?" Charles asked, his glacial tone making the Colonel freeze. "I'm quite certain you know the penalty for such insubordination, so think very carefully before you reply."

Fiske swallowed, a flicker of fear in his eyes. "My apologies, Admiral Harris. I believe I misspoke."

There was a long moment of silence between them, a trickle of sweat dripping down the side of Fiske's face. Finally, Charles said quietly, "I admire your diligence, Colonel, but don't make the mistake of underestimating Devereux. She was an admiral for eight years before her recent promotion, so she's quite aware of the risks involved and knows exactly what she's doing. The Fleet Admiral has made a number of privacy requests and you WILL adhere to them all, am I understood?"

Snapping to attention, Fiske saluted him. "Yes, Admiral Harris. I understand perfectly, Sir."

"Good, you're dismissed," Charles said, lowering his hands.

The colonel turned and marched out of the office, nearly bumping into Lynette who was waiting in the reception area with Charles' adjutant. Fiske gulped when he saw her and gave her a sharp salute. "Morning, Ma'am..."

She looked at him curiously, noting how anxious he appeared to be. "Good afternoon, Colonel Fiske," she corrected him as she returned his salute.

He nodded and Lynette watched as he strode stiffly out into the corridor as if he couldn't get away fast enough. She exchanged a curious look with Victor, who gave her a helpless shrug, the Lieutenant just as confused by the colonel's behaviour as she was.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lynette," Charles apologised, as he left his office and found her standing there.

"No need to apologise, I was early," she replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Is everything alright with Fiske?"

Charles gestured towards the door and they walked out into the corridor. "The good colonel was expressing his concern about the prohibition of surveillance in your quarters."

Lynette glanced his way with concern. "Ah, I hope I'm not causing you any problems?"

"It's not a problem; your desire for privacy is entirely reasonable." His moustache twitched into a grin. "Besides, I'd far rather he concentrate on keeping intruders from getting anywhere near your quarters, rather than trying to stop someone once they're already inside. The surveillance restrictions will just force Fiske to improve perimeter security, which will ultimately be safer for you."

"That's a good way of thinking about it," she said with a grateful smile. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"You're welcome," Charles replied, inclining his head politely. "Now, where would you like to go for lunch today?"

"Actually, I wanted to discuss a number of Ultra-clearance subjects, so eating in a public restaurant would be unwise." Lynette hesitated for a second, a shy smile on her face. "I prepared some lunch for us in my suite; we can talk freely there without any interruptions... if you're willing to trust my cooking?"

Charles laughed and nodded. "My life is in your hands."

They made idle conversation as they headed to her quarters, greeting the handful of senior officers they met on their way. Lynette felt a fluttering of excitement in her stomach as they arrived at the door to her suite; it felt like she was a teenager again, inviting her boyfriend up to her bedroom in her parents' house. She could sense Alyssa's amusement over their bond, but the blonde refrained from teasing her, for which she was tremendously grateful. Lynette placed her palm on the DNA reader and the door slid open silently, admitting them into her suite.

"I hope your quarters were acceptable?" Charles asked, following her inside.

"Charles, they're magnificent," Lynette replied with a grateful smile.

The suite was spacious and luxurious, with no expense spared for the leader of the Terran Federation. It was tastefully decorated and furnished, a far cry from the typical utilitarian officers' quarters. They walked through the lobby area into the main lounge, which was dominated by a huge set of windows that offered a panoramic view of the space lanes approaching Olympus Shipyard. There were hundreds of ships visible from here, ranging from meandering civilian traders to rows of captured Kintark vessels, the alien craft being prepared for their return to the Empire.

Most of the T-Fed fleets that had survived the Battle of Terra were also in attendance, many of those ships awaiting their turn in the drydock for repair and refit. It was a spectacular sight and Charles paused to admire the ponderous majesty of those huge capital ships as they hung motionless in the field of velvety black. As impressive as those vessels appeared, he knew how utterly ineffective they were in comparison to the ships from a highly-advanced species like the Maliri. The sheer scale of the refit efforts ahead of them filled him with apprehension, and not for the first time, he wondered how they would ever hope to bring the Terran ships up to parity with the Progenitor's forces.

"Are you alright?" Lynette asked sympathetically. "You look like you've got the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders."

He turned to smile at her, shaking himself out of his bleak introspection. "Don't mind me, everything's fine."

"Charles... it's okay, you can talk to me," she said softly, placing her hand on his arm. "The Lionesses have ensured that anything we discuss here can't be overhead."

Colonel Fiske's frustrations suddenly made perfect sense. Charles knew that the security teams would never be able to penetrate the Fleet Admiral's jamming device if the Lionesses were involved.

He was about to reply when he noticed that Lynette had already laid out lunch for them in the dining room opposite. Flushing with embarrassment, he said, "I must have really zoned-out there. You must think I'm incredibly rude."

"Not at all," she said, shaking her head. "Let's sit down for lunch, then you can tell me what's on your mind."

Charles nodded and followed her over to the table, his eyebrows climbing when he saw the plate of food waiting for him. "Lynette, this looks amazing!"

"It's just a Salade Niçoise with grilled tuna," she said with a self-conscious smile. "I hope you like it."

She poured him a glass of white wine, then sat demurely as she watched him try the tuna. When Charles hummed his appreciation, she gave him a broad smile and started on her own meal.

"This really is excellent, Lynette," he said, admiring her culinary expertise. "Thank you for going to all this trouble."

"It was no trouble at all; it's always a pleasure to cook for a guest. Now, what was on your mind?" she asked, before eating some of her salad.

Charles glanced out the window at the legions of grey vessels. "Seeing all those ships out there... it just reminded me what a herculean task we have ahead of us to upgrade them all. Even then, I know they'll be no match for the Progenitor's forces... John warned me as much."

Lynette watched him for a moment, trying her wine before returning the glass to the table. "He's preparing the Maliri to fight the Progenitor's forces, but our fleets need to be strong to keep the T-Fed borders secure against other threats. Riding to our rescue all the time is a distraction John doesn't need at the moment." She leaned forward and added in a conspiratorial whisper, "But can I let you in on a little secret?"

He looked intrigued as he made eye contact with her. "Of course, I'll be the soul of discretion."

"I'm hoping that if we can prove just how dependable we are as an ally, that John will eventually trust the Terran Federation with much more technology!" she exclaimed, with a hopeful smile.