Three Square Meals Ch. 104

The redhead looked indignant for a moment, then glanced at John and deflated, visibly conceding that the Fleet Admiral had made a valid point.

One of the admirals, a handsome man in his mid-forties, frowned in disapproval and said in a cultured, well-spoken voice, "Fleet Admiral, I understand the need to get rid of some science boffins and journos, but your cutbacks to my spies is reckless in the extreme. If we cease all spending on espionage and counter-espionage against the Trankarans, the Maliri, and the Ashanath, we'll be putting the security of the Terran Federation at unprecedented risk."

Lynette looked at John and said, "Would you care to address Admiral Garbert-Smythe's concerns?"

John nodded and patiently explained, "The Trankarans, the Maliri, and the Ashanath are no threat to the Terran Federation. They also have access to the same technology that I've given to you, so they aren't going to attempt to steal it. Likewise, you have nothing to gain from espionage within those empires, but failed attempts would risk causing diplomatic incidents which we can ill-afford right now."

There were looks of alarm from the admirals when they realised that they wouldn't have a huge tech advantage over the other empires as they'd previously assumed.

"Yes, I gave them the same technology," John freely admitted. "I've helped broker an alliance between all those empires and they're working together now for mutual protection. I'm hoping that the Terran Federation will join that alliance."

Garbert-Smythe looked deeply worried as he ran his fingers through his perfectly coifed dark hair. "Our relationship with the Trankarans is strained at best, especially after turning down their request for assistance. The Ashanath have always resisted any suggestions of a military alliance, and up until yesterday, our attempts to improve relations with the Maliri have been met with what can only be described as aloof disinterest. What makes you think any of them would want to ally with us?"

"Because they find Terrans less objectionable than the Kirrix, the Drakkar, the Enshunu, and the Brimorians," John replied with a smile. "That and they're already allied with me."

Lynette faced the unsettled admiral and said, "We've been presented with a golden opportunity to discount three empires as threats to the Federation. I intend to capitalise on this to refocus our espionage efforts on genuine threats, like the Brimorians." She studied the concerned man for a moment, then continued, "We haven't had a serious shake-up in the espionage divisions in decades. You must have realised that they've become lazy and complacent. The Maliri division is well-known for being a boy's club; can you think of any tangible benefit they've provided in the last... 20 years?"

He started to defend his staff, then frowned and looked embarrassed. "Actually, you're right. Maliri digital networks have proven to be quite impregnable... I keep hearing promises forecasting results, but those teams never deliver."

"They're deadweight and wasting valuable resources, so must be dealt with accordingly," Lynette said, her tone solemn. She looked around at her audience and continued, "I want all of you to take the same clinical approach with your own divisions, looking for areas of inefficiency, corruption, or incompetence."

"How am I supposed to do that exactly?" Van Den Broeck muttered, looked despondent. "At a stroke you've eliminated my entire area of responsibility."

Lynette gave her a sympathetic look. "Radical change is never easy and I'm asking a lot of each of you. However, please remember that you are admirals of the Terran Federation and your duty is to serve in whatever capacity you are most needed. In your case, Lina, I am posting you to Olympus to oversee the construction of the new Trade hub."

Van Den Broeck looked astonished at first, then she smiled broadly and said with enthusiasm, "I won't let you down, Fleet Admiral!"

After smiling at her in acknowledgement, Lynette looked at her numbed audience, each of them still reeling after the dramatic announcements that afternoon. "High Command has been too self-absorbed for decades, ignoring the needs of the Terran Federation while admirals squabbled over prestige and influence. My predecessor was criminally negligent in letting this rot remain unchecked, eroding the effectiveness of High Command. We narrowly avoided total defeat at the hands of the Kintark, but I'm determined that we will not leave ourselves vulnerable like that again. This is our chance to revitalise the Terran Federation, leading us into a new golden age for our civilisation!"

The admirals rose to their feet as they applauded her enthusiastically. John was pleased to see that without exception they all seemed to have responded favourably to Devereux's vision for the Terran Federation. Even Admiral Caldwell looked pleasantly surprised, the hint of a smile on his face as he joined in the standing ovation. Lynette glanced at John, a question in her hazel eyes, but he quickly shook his head simply joining the others in clapping for the Fleet Admiral.

Lynette had a broad smile on her face as she acknowledged the applause with a bow of her head. "Thank you everyone, you are dismissed."

The admirals began to file out of the auditorium, clustering into groups to discuss all the recent developments.

Charles nodded to John, getting his attention. "Speak to me later this evening about the Hera... I'll arrange an estimate for her bounty."

"Will do, Charles... thank you," John replied, shaking his hand.

"Congratulations, Fleet Admiral," the older man said, smiling at Lynette. "Care to join me for a drink this evening to celebrate your promotion?"

She hesitated for a second before replying, "That sounds like a lovely idea, but I have a number of pressing issues I need to discuss with John. Perhaps a raincheck?"

"The offer's always open," he replied amiably, saluting her and turning to leave.

Admiral Lina Van Den Broeck was waiting for him by the door, absent-mindedly playing with a tendril of the curly red hair that tumbled around her shoulders. To Charles' surprise, she gave him a dazzling smile as she linked arms with him. "It's seems we'll be working closely together in the future, Admiral Harris. I was hoping I might be able to learn from your many years of experience in running Olympus?"

After looking flustered for a moment, he gave her a pleasant smile. "I'd be happy to teach you whatever I can, Admiral."

"Call me, Lina, please," she gushed, strutting out of the meeting room at his side.

Lynette's eyes narrowed as she watched the pair leave, an unreadable expression on her face.

Alyssa studied the Fleet Admiral in fascination and said airily, "I guess with all the money being ploughed into fleet construction at Olympus, Charles' star is rising..."

"He's been a loyal and trustworthy friend for decades," John said, smiling at Charles' recent good fortune. "I think he's an excellent choice to oversee this new ship-building program, Lynette." He turned to face her and continued, "Oh, and I thought the meeting was excellent. High Command seemed to respond really well to everything in the end."

She nodded her agreement but was eyeing John curiously. "There were a few items we didn't cover during the meeting that you and I had discussed earlier. Why didn't you mention Tartarus or the Abandoned?"

John shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. "I didn't want to steal your thunder, you had the admirals all fired up at the end."

Alyssa jerked her thumb at the door and said pointedly, "Shall we head back to the ship? I'm sure Lynette must be hungry for a big meal after all the excitement this afternoon..."

Lynette blushed and inadvertently licked her lips as she nodded. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

They left the auditorium and John glanced her way, saying quietly, "Regarding the Abandoned, I think we gave those admirals enough to deal with for one afternoon. We'll let them adjust to all the changes you've suggested, then we can discuss how to deal with the Brimorians and the Abandoned later. Besides, we're still facing a lot of unknowns there. I need to talk to Helene again and see if I can find out a bit more, then we can present High Command with more concrete information."

"Sounds like a sensible approach," Lynette agreed. "I've found it's usually best to prepare a briefing as thoroughly as possible beforehand."

"As for Buckingham and Weber's misdeeds... I think I'll leave it up to you if you want to make that public or not," John said, checking for her reaction. "Weber's name is already mud with the Admiralty, which is where it counts. My personal inclination would be to publically destroy Buckingham's reputation, but he's dead and you're the Fleet Admiral now. I think you're going to have enough on your plate without having to deal with public outrage at everything that bastard was involved with."

She was quiet for a long moment as she considered John's words. "I can't deny that just sweeping Tartarus and all the rest under the carpet would make my life much easier... but I don't want to start my tenure as Fleet Admiral with lying to the public. As much as I might come to regret it, I think we should disclose everything that happened at Tartarus and anything else that comes to light. I'll speak to Jehanna and see if she can suggest the best way of breaking that bit of news. Hopefully we can build the public's trust that things are going to be different now."

John glanced at her and smiled, remembering a conversation they'd had just after defeating Nexus. "Now it's my turn to worry about sounding patronising... but I'm very proud of you, Lynette. I think you're going to be an outstanding Fleet Admiral."

Lynette seemed to positively glow with his praise, closing her eyes for a second as she shivered with delight. "God, that felt good..." When she looked at him again, she arched an eyebrow. "Something you forgot to mention about the Change...?"

He blinked in surprise and flicked a startled glance at Alyssa.

The blonde shrugged and gave the Fleet Admiral a knowing smile. "It's always nice to feel appreciated..."

"By some more than others," Lynette noted drily. "Is that some kind of Progenitor version of Pavlovian conditioning?"

John winced and gave her a remorseful frown. "I wasn't aware of that one, sorry..."

She glanced either way down the corridor to make sure they were alone, then reached out to place her hand on his forearm, bringing them to a halt. "You've gone to great pains to prove your motives are benign," she said gently. "You don't need to keep apologising for things like that. You'd prevent them if you could, but some are out of your control... I fully understand that now and accept the nature of the Gift you're giving me."

He relaxed, returning her smile. "Does that mean you still want to go ahead... with number three?"

Lynette had a determined look in her eyes and she nodded. "Definitely. There's no doubt in my mind."

Alyssa had a mischievous grin on her face as she said, "Would you mind if I ask you something... naughty?" When the Fleet Admiral shook her head, Alyssa stepped closer and pressed her lips to Lynette's ear then began to whisper.

She was whispering too quietly for John to overhear, so his imagination ran riot as he waited. He watched curiously as Lynette's hazel eyes widened in response to whatever the blonde was saying. A look of shock then desire crossing her older face, the holograph that concealed her features accurately mirroring her expression.

"N-no, I don't mind," Lynette murmured, blushing furiously.

"Marvellous!" Alyssa exclaimed with a twinkle in her eyes. She clasped John's hand in hers and tugged on his arm. "Come on! We need to get back to the ship!"

John glanced at Lynette, who just gave him a coy smile, so he laughed and let the blonde lead him back towards the docking bay. With all three in full-dress uniform, they were instantly recognisable to the Olympus staff and fleet crews they passed. There were a lot more people in the main corridors and they stopped to salute the group, with calls of "The Lion!" echoing ahead of them and drawing a larger crowd.

By the time they reached the docking bay, Lynette had a broad smile on her face, having enjoyed seeing the jubilant reception from the personnel. "I must admit, I was stunned and more than a little jealous when I first saw how the crowds reacted to you at the award ceremony on Terra. The irony of the situation didn't escape me; that my 'Lion of the Federation' had wildly exceeded my expectations, leaving me completely eclipsed by your growing fame."

"I never wanted any of this really," John said as he walked towards the Invictus' airlock, flanked by both women. "But I must admit, being instantly recognisable has made things quite a bit easier at times. I'm sorry I derailed your speech on Terra though, I honestly never intended that to happen."

Lynette waved away his apology. "I became Fleet Admiral in the end, so it all worked out." She took another step then froze, a look of wonder on her face. "I-I really did it, after all these years..."

"Yes you did, Fleet Admiral Lynette Devereux," John said, turning to give her a sharp salute that was full of respect. "I can't think of a more deserving person to serve under."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "And I'm incredibly relieved that I have you as my ally, Admiral John Blake."

"Actually, it's Vice Admiral, ma'am," John replied as they continued walking towards the Invictus.

"You must be mistaken, Admiral," she replied, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "A Vice Admiral can't be a serving member of High Command..."

He looked startled for a moment, then gave her an appreciative smile. "I'll serve to the best of my ability, Fleet Admiral."

"Excellent, I'd expect nothing less," Lynette replied, grinning back at him. They stopped at the airlock door and she looked into his eyes. "I would offer you congratulations on your promotion, but truthfully, you already outrank me. There's no finer title that I can bestow than 'Lion of the Federation'; an honour you've made all your own."

"I've just been trying to do the right thing," he said with a distant look in his eyes. "You know the bigger game I'm playing here and the stakes involved... but the Terran Federation was my home and I don't want to see it fall."

"Was your home?" Lynette asked curiously.

Alyssa pressed her hand on the DNA reader, which flashed green and opened the airlock. "There's someone waiting to talk to you who can tell you all about it."

The inner airlock door spiralled open, revealing Jehanna, Helene, and Faye.

Jehanna smiled at Lynette. "How about we make a deal, Fleet Admiral? I'll tell you all about their retirement plans, in exchange for an interview to go with my exposé on the horrors Buckingham committed at Tartarus!"

Before the older woman could reply, Helene rushed into John's arms. "Welcome home!"

"Hello, beautiful," he said with a smile, enjoying her enthusiastic hug and feeling her still-rounded tummy pressing into him. "Everything okay?"

She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss. "Everything's wonderful! Faye's been teaching me lots more interesting things, but when Alyssa told me you were nearly back at the ship, I wanted to be here to greet you!"

"Well that was a lovely thought, thank you," John said appreciatively. He gently released her from his embrace, but not before he took a moment to stroke her cum-filled stomach.

As Helene let out a gentle sigh of contentment, he had no trouble imagining her welcoming him home on Valaden, her belly heavy with his child instead of his cum. By the blissful doe-eyed look on the aquatic girl's face, he guessed she was thinking similar thoughts and found them just as appealing as he did.

Alyssa snuggled up behind him and kissed his ear. "Hold onto those thoughts, handsome." She held his hand and pulled him after her as she walked towards the grav-tubes. Glancing over her shoulder at the cluster of women she grinned as she called back to them, "See you girls later!"

"You and me?" John asked, pleasantly surprised as they stepped into the blue anti-gravity field.

She turned around to embrace him, crossing her wrists behind his neck. When Alyssa gazed into his eyes, she seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable. "As long as that's okay with you? I know there's lots of new girls to have fun with..."

He brushed his fingers through her golden mane, then gently cupped her head in his hand. "You know I love being with you." He looked at her with concern. "Is this because of what happened in the meeting?"

Alyssa nodded, hugging him closer as if trying to draw strength from him. "I guess I just needed a bit of reassurance that everything's okay with us... that you aren't mad at me for leading the girls astray."

"Honey, I'm going to show you that everything's wonderful with us," he said earnestly, making her smile at the conviction in his voice.

When they reached Deck Two, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the corridor to their bedroom. He was tempted to just strip off his clothes then and there, but Alyssa ran her fingers over the golden lion emblazoned over his chest and shook her head. Putting her down, they walked into the wardrobe and removed their Lion and Lioness uniforms, leaving them out on anti-grav hangers for the cleaning bots to launder. Now that they were naked, they entered the bathroom hand-in-hand, glancing furtively at one another.

"This is just like being back on the Fool's Gold," Alyssa said in a hushed voice, as they stood together under the shower. "Just you and me against the galaxy..."

John traced his fingers over her wet skin, letting each fingertip glide along her collarbone, then down the toned perfection of her back. "So much has changed since then," he murmured, marvelling at just how dramatically his life had been transformed. "Except for one thing..."

Her cerulean gaze softened as she listened to his thoughts. *No, that's not true... I love you even more now.*

Their lips brushed together, mouths parting almost immediately for a deeper kiss. John felt an unusual tingle as they touched, his body shivering with pleasure at that electrifying contact. Pulling back, he looked down at her in surprise. *Athena?*

*She's wanted this for so long,* Alyssa whispered, kissing him again. *Love us both, John...*

What started as tender kisses in the shower, turned into intimate caresses as soon as they'd dried off and returned to the bedroom. John gave his undivided attention to the golden-haired angel lying beside him, exploring and stroking every inch of her exquisite body. Alyssa had always been responsive to his touch, but this time she thrilled at every gentle brush of his fingertips, the lightest of contact enough to have her moaning with desire.

He knew all her erogenous zones like the back of his hand, but this time she seemed to have picked up several new ones. John wasn't sure whether that was due to Athena experiencing this with her, or simply the heightened sensitivity that accompanied the sparks that flew with every touch. Tracing a fingernail along the back of a calf had Alyssa moaning, the slender muscles contracting as her velvety-smooth skin bristled with goosebumps. When he reached the backs of her knees, she cried out with pleasure, turning to bite a pillow as she writhed at his gentle caress. By the time he ascended to her athletic thighs and started massaging those powerful muscles, she spread herself wantonly for him, her hips hunching with need as she moaned with desire.

"Please!" she begged him, her eyes wild. "I need you inside me!"

John could see how wet she was already, so he lined himself up with her, feeling her slick warmth as he parted her outer lips. Alyssa let out a low groan and pushed back at him, taking the first few inches as he just held himself steady.