Three Square Meals Ch. 112

He slumped and rubbed a hand over his face. "Alright... when you put it like that, I must admit I do have a fair bit on my mind at the moment."

*You've carefully nurtured the girls to make them extremely capable, they can handle those traumatised civilians,* Edraele said gently. *You should be focusing your mental energy on decisions that will have galaxy-wide consequences. I'm sure we can't stop you worrying about everything, especially the wellbeing of the girls, but you must learn to prioritise what you burden yourself with.*

"You're right, I've been doing all of you a disservice," John admitted, letting out a sigh. "I just find situations like the colonist rescue incredibly frustrating. I want to help them, but there's so little I can actually do."

Alyssa gave him a supportive smile. "That's not true. You made those people feel safe aboard the Invictus and you got Governor Vaughn to assist with providing supplies. Healing the wounded is Rachel's forte and now Helene can ease their suffering... the rest of us can offer emotional support and a sympathetic ear where it's needed."

He looked at her quizzically. "So while you're hard at work, what am I supposed to do this morning? Sit back and twiddle my thumbs?"

She gave him a beaming smile as she shook her head. "XO is temporarily relieving you of command. You're taking a break... and going on a date!"

Her eyes darted towards the door, where Faye was waiting with a hopeful look in her luminous eyes. The purple sprite was wearing a light-cotton summer dress and had her arm tucked through the wicker handle of a picnic hamper.

"Is that okay, John?" Faye asked nervously.

He relaxed, putting his trust in the girls. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Just give me a moment and I'll get dressed."

"Yay! I'll meet you in the Raptor!" she gushed, waving goodbye and skipping towards the grav-tubes.

***

Jehanna Elani left her suite and smiled at the security guards standing at attention in the corridor. "Good morning, Bill. Hello, Darius. How are you two today?"

"Just fine, Ma'am," Bill replied, his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile back at her.

Darius gave her a flirtatious grin, his white teeth all the brighter against his dark skin. "All the better for seeing you, Just Jehanna."

She laughed and waved goodbye, still finding it hard to believe that she had unrestricted access to such a protected area of Olympus. When Jehanna returned to the orbital shipyard after her visit to Terra, she'd been invited to a stern security briefing given by Colonel Fiske and was under the distinct impression that he wasn't happy about the arrangements. Fortunately, a Fleet Admiral trumped a Colonel by half-a-dozen pay grades, leaving him powerless to countermand Lynette's orders; one of the many benefits of having a secret-Lioness in very high places.

Jehanna walked down the corridor to the next suite, then pressed the button by the door, a melodious chime reaching her ears. "Hello, Fleet Admiral Devereux," she said, smiling at the camera above the DNA reader. "I'm not disturbing the lovebirds am I?"

Lynette's laughter echoed from the intercom. "It's okay. Come on in."

The door slid open, admitting the reporter to the private residence of the most powerful woman in the Terran Federation. Jehanna walked through the lobby, then into the main living area where she found Charles sitting on the sofa watching the Holonet.

"Ah, Jehanna," Charles said, greeting her with a warm smile. "It's lovely to see you again. Lynette will be out in just a moment."

She stepped forward for a hug and a friendly peck on the cheek. "I hear congratulations are in order!"

He looked at her in surprise, then gave her a self-conscious grin and tapped a finger against his temple. "I keep forgetting that Alyssa's in contact with you both..."

"Yes, it's surprisingly handy," she agreed, with a conspiratorial wink.

"I'm so glad you're back," Lynette said as she walked out of the bedroom, a bright smile on her exquisitely beautiful face. "Sorry I wasn't able to see you yesterday, Charles took me shopping on Gravitus..."

"Let me see the ring!" Jehanna squealed, rushing over to give her a hug.

Lynette held up her hand, the light reflected off the big sparkling diamond adorning her finger.

"Wow! What a rock!" Jehanna exclaimed, whistling appreciatively. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Lynette smiled lovingly at Charles. "I wasn't intending to pick anything quite so ostentatious, but my darling fiancé insisted."

"I didn't want there to be any doubt I was staking my claim," he said, returning her smile. He walked over and they shared a tender kiss, pulling back to look deeply into each other's eyes. Charles turned to Jehanna and continued, "If you'll excuse me, I better get to work. The new boss is a real ball-breaker and I wouldn't want her to find out that I'm not in the office yet."

Lynette leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "I've heard it said on good authority that she's got quite the crush on you. I think you'll be able to sweet talk your way out of trouble."

"Good to know, thank you," Charles said with a grin, before reluctantly heading towards the lobby.

"I'll see you this afternoon," she called after him. "Thanks for breakfast, it was delicious!"

Charles shared a flirtatious smile with her, then blushed furiously when he remembered they had company. With a hurried wave goodbye to his fiancée and her guest he strode out of the suite.

"He's so in love with you," Jehanna said wistfully, watching him leave.

"The feeling's mutual," Lynette said, with a contented sigh. She turned and gestured to the sofa. "Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you be terribly offended if I checked a few status reports while we catch up? Taking yesterday off has left me with a bit of a backlog."

Jehanna sat down, slipped off her high heels and tucked her long legs under her. "I don't mind, go ahead."

Lynette joined her on the plush sofa and activated the comms interface built into the armrest. Holographic screens appeared in front of her and she scrolled down through the scores of messages, searching for anything that might require her urgent attention.

"The Kintark fleet are nearing the Dragon March," she said to Jehanna, her eyes darting through the progress update.

"The captured ships you're returning to Empress Tamolith?" The reporter leaned forward, her eyes alight with interest. "I'd love to do a story about them."

Lynette frowned, darting a cautionary look at the younger woman. "I'm not sure that's wise. Tempers are running pretty hot after the Battle of Terra; returning prisoners and giving 300 ships back to the Kintark Empire would probably be seen as a gross betrayal of all those Federation personnel who lost their lives."

Jehanna tilted her head to one side as she considered it. "We could go for a 'benevolence of the Federation' angle, focusing on the prisoner exchange and your eagerness to return captured Terran personnel to their loving families. Of course, I'd highlight the fact that the Kintark crews were all captured at Regulus and had nothing to do with the atrocities at Port Medea or Unity City."

"I think the general public tend to view the Kintark as all being as bad as each other," the admiral said, with a wry smile. "Our propaganda campaign during the war was a little too effective."

"How about I write up a story, then we hold onto it until Terran prisoners start returning from the Kintark Empire?" Jehanna asked, her mind racing. "I'll only run the exclusive If you think the tone is appropriate and the public might be in a more receptive mood. We could even link it to a piece about the execution of Kintark war criminals, just to help differentiate the two in the public mind."

"That sounds perfect," Lynette said, nodding her approval. "We probably won't see any liberated prisoners for at least a couple of weeks, which should fit with the scheduling of the war crimes tribunals."

"I'll make a start on it this afternoon," Jehanna said, with a bright smile. "Okay, what's next?"

Lynette returned her attention to the comms interface and frowned as she read through a message from Admiral Morgan. "Still no answers regarding the Brimorian fleet movements along the border."

"Could they be planning an invasion?" Jehanna asked, her eyebrows climbing.

"The Brimorians have never tried invading our territory before," Lynette replied, her brow furrowing with worry. "But we've never been this vulnerable before either. I'm planning to dispatch a fleet under Vice Admiral Dacres to reinforce the border, but his ships are being upgraded with Brimorian Shield Generators and advanced Kintark Heat Sinks at the moment."

"Is there an angle I could cover regarding the Brimorian situation?" the reporter asked, understanding how sensitive this information was.

"Not yet," Lynette replied, lost in thought. "But some anti-Brimorian propaganda pieces might be helpful if the situation deteriorates. I know John plans to confront the Brimorians about the Abandoned, so in a few weeks' time these border tensions will probably be a moot point."

Jehanna cupped her chin in a hand as she thought it over. "If John demolishes their fleets, would some anti-Brimorian propaganda be helpful anyway? It wouldn't hurt to have public backing if you're in a position to acquire more territory..."

Looking at her in surprise, Lynette chuckled as she nodded. "Very astute, Miss Elani. If you could have something prepared, I'd really appreciate it."

"It's no trouble at all," the reporter said with a grin.

Lynette caught her eye and said firmly, "Please avoid any mention of the Abandoned for the moment. Their Terran ancestry is a very sensitive subject and we'll need to handle that revelation to the public with great care."

"Of course, I'll be very careful. I'm here to support a fellow Lioness however I can," she said, stroking the Fleet Admiral's arm. "Speaking of which, how are John and the girls doing?"

Turning away from the comms interface, Lynette smiled as she listened to Alyssa's summary. "They've already annihilated the Kirrix forces that attacked Carolus III and Brecken's World, and are treating the infested colonists. The Federation forces under Admiral Zelig intercepted the Kirrix fleet retreating from Tasmaris Prime and those colonists are now being returned to the planet. That only leaves the citizens on Menganus IV, Valia Gate, and Karron to be rescued."

"That's wonderful news!" Jehanna gushed. "Would you like me to do another 'heroic victory' piece?"

Lynette paused, then slowly shook her head. "We need to handle the Kirrix invasion of the Outer Rim very delicately. Alyssa mentioned that there's a lot of resentment over the way Buckingham left the borders undefended. I don't want to stir up any more trouble by appearing overly triumphant when hundreds-of-thousands of colonists have been brutally raped and infested with Kirrix eggs."

Jehanna's face fell and she nodded. "Sorry, of course you're right." She gave her friend a rueful look. "I lose any sense of objectivity where John is concerned; I imagine I'm even worse than usual at the moment."

"I understand," Lynette said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "Alyssa mentioned that you've been feeling a bit down over the last couple of days. Is everything alright?"

"A girl has no secrets when she's a Lioness, does she?" Jehanna replied with a wry smile.

Lynette gently stroked her arm and said, "It's better that way. You know she just wants to help."

The dusky girl nodded and took a deep breath before replying, "I've found it really hard, being separated from John... much harder than last time. Now that we're connected, I find myself constantly thinking about him."

Lynette looked startled as she thought about her own feelings. "I'm connected to him too, but it's been quite different for me. I do think about John, but more in terms of how I can help him prepare the Terran Federation to face a Progenitor invasion." Her hazel eyes lost focus as she thought about her fiancé. "I've not thought about John romantically since I became involved with Charles."

Jehanna smiled as she admitted, "I wasn't really talking about romance... my thoughts tend to be quite a bit naughtier."

"I know what you mean. John warned me about possible side-effects from being changed by him, but he didn't tell me just how much my libido would increase, or the thrill I'd get from being submissive. Charles thinks he's died and gone to heaven since we got together, but when I'm on my knees, swallowing down that wonderful man's cum..." Her eyelids fluttered and her hand drifted to her stomach.

Jehanna found herself licking her lips and groaned in frustration. "God, I wish John was here now..."

"You got very close to the twins too, didn't you?" Lynette said, giving the younger woman a knowing look.

Nodding, Jehanna blushed as she replied, "I was absolutely wanton with them... I've never been so sexually uninhibited before. They were so loving with me and I've been missing them so much; it's made being apart from all of them incredibly difficult."

Turning away from the holo-interface, Lynette listened to her Matriarch's telepathic instructions then opened her arms to her friend. "Come here, beautiful."

Jehanna gladly embraced the nubile brunette, cuddling up against her on the sofa. She let out a quiet sigh as Lynette slipped a hand inside her blouse to stroke her trim stomach.

"There's a good girl," Lynette whispered in her ear, making the reporter quiver with delight. "Does that feel nice?"

"God, yes..." the dusky girl moaned, the gentle caresses driving her wild.

Lynette looked down at her with concern. "Alyssa said that they can come back to collect you if you're really struggling with being separated from them."

Jehanna gazed up at her with a terribly conflicted expression on her face. "If it was just my career I was giving up, the decision would be so much easier to make. The problem is that I can't just abandon my family. I usually visit my parents every couple of weeks and if I leave to have a family with John, I'll be so far away from them in Maliri Space. I wouldn't get to see my parents for months, or even years at a time..."

"Family certainly complicates matters for you," Lynette said, brushing aside a strand of Jehanna's dark hair. "What have you told your parents about your relationship with John?"

"My mother knows I've started dating someone, but she has no idea who he is," Jehanna replied, enjoying the comforting embrace. Ruefully shaking her head, she continued, "But if I reveal who he is and they see the video of him on Olympus kissing Calara... that conversation would be awkward to say the least."

"I don't envy you that kind of discussion, I remember how protective my parents could be. I'm sure they only want the best for you though," Lynette said, her voice turning wistful. "My parents tried to hide it, but I know they were disappointed that I never found someone to settle down with."

"They must have been incredibly proud of you when you were promoted to Admiral?" Jehanna asked, studying her friend's troubled face with sympathy.

"Oh they were," the older woman replied, remembering her parents' joy when she told them about her promotion. "But they were also worried about me being left alone when they passed." Her expression shadowed with pain. "I can't help feeling like I let them down terribly with the choices I made; they would have loved to have had grandchildren, but I was too obsessed with my career to get married. Now I have another chance at having a family, but it's too late for them..."

"I'm so sorry, Lynette," Jehanna said softly, hugging the brunette.

Tears rolled down Lynette's cheeks as she clung desperately to the younger woman. "I miss them so much..."

Jehanna held Lynette as she sobbed, comforting her as she let out years of bottled-up grief. She murmured supportive words until the brunette's outpouring of loss had run its course, Lynette trembling in her arms until she finally calmed.

Brushing the tears away, Lynette let out a choked laugh. "I'm so sorry... I get incredibly emotional now over the slightest thing. I wasn't expecting that at all."

"Don't be silly, I'm glad I was here for you," Jehanna said, stroking her arm. She hesitated then added quietly, "I can't imagine how hard it must be, losing your parents."

Lynette inhaled deeply as she got herself under control, then turned to give the dusky reporter a knowing look. "But it's been on your mind, hasn't it?"

Jehanna bit her lip, then nodded. "I've been thinking about them a lot, especially now there's a possibility that I might live forever. My parents are Hindus, so they believe that they'll keep being reborn until they've earned enough good karma. When they reach a state of enlightenment the next step from there would be... heaven. They'd say that if I become immortal with John, I won't be part of the rebirth cycle anymore, so I'll be parted from them forever."

"And what do you believe?" Lynette asked softly.

"I honestly don't know," Jehanna admitted, her brown eyes filled with uncertainty. "I've always tried to be a good person... kind of hedging my bets, I suppose. But the idea of my soul being constantly reborn? I've never really given it much thought until now... I was too preoccupied with everything else going on in my life."

"It seems like not many people have time for spirituality these days," Lynette said, brushing her fingers through Jehanna's dark hair. "Perhaps this is a conversation you should have with John? You'll find he's surprisingly insightful."

"You're right, I'll speak with him about it when I next get a chance." Jehanna leaned into her hand. "Are you religious, Lynette?"

"I used to be Catholic," the brunette replied, gazing off into the distance.

"Used to be?" the dusky young woman asked, picking up on the past tense. "If it's not too personal a question, why's that?"

Lynette let out a heavy sigh and couldn't meet Jehanna's curious gaze. "I lost my faith the first time I had to order an orbital bombardment." Her voice turned bleak as she added, "Because if there is a heaven and hell, I know where I'll be going..."

***

John stepped out of the grav-tube and walked into the Raptor's cockpit. "A girl's never asked me out on a date before," he said, smiling at Faye.

She bounded over to greet him with a hug. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"No, of course not. I'm flattered and relieved," he replied, glancing through the cockpit canopy as the gunship lifted off the hangar deck.

"Relieved?" Faye asked, looking at him curiously.

"You have no idea how long I spent coming up with ideas for our last date. You've saved me hours of meticulous planning," he confided in her with a playful wink.

She let out a happy sigh. "I adored every minute of it." Her serene expression suddenly turned pensive. "But now you've got me worried that I haven't put enough thought into this..."

"I'm sure whatever you have planned will be amazing," he said, stroking her back. John glanced over her shoulder at the empty pilot seat and frowned as the Raptor raced low over the treetops. "Could you at least pretend you're flying this thing?"

Faye giggled and put her hands over her eyes. "Oh no! I can't even see where we're going!"

The Raptor dipped, then executed a precise roll before racing between two huge trees.

He wagged a finger at her. "You're a very naughty girl."

Faye grinned as she sat down in the pilot's seat, grabbing the flight stick and staring at the instruments with a look of intense concentration. "Better?"

He laughed and leaned against the back of her chair. "I give up, the illusion's been shattered. So where are you taking me anyway?"