Three Square Meals Ch. 117

Lynette gave him a sympathetic look, having had the terrible duty of informing more than one devastated spouse that they would never see their loved one's again. "I'm sorry... we can speak later."

Admiral Morgan shook his head. "It's alright, I could use a distraction. I imagine you were calling for an update on the border status?" He paused to gather his thoughts then continued, "The Brimorian fleet hasn't been reinforced since half their ships left and they haven't moved in days. If they are planning some kind of imminent attack, it's not in the Callopean Shoals..."

"I've just dispatched Kester to join you there," Lynette said, steepling her fingers together. "Should I position him elsewhere?"

He considered that for a moment, then replied, "Perhaps along the Taxarran Straights?"

She thought about the strip of space along the Enclave border, which was the closest to any colonised Terran Federation worlds. If the Brimorians were planning an invasion rather than reclaiming lost territory, it was the logical point to make the border crossing. They could be harassing Terran systems within as little as twelve hours and while there were defensive forces in place, the T-Fed forces didn't have the numbers to defend against a full-scale invasion.

"It's a good suggestion, thank you," she said appreciatively.

"I know us occupying part of the Shoals sticks in their craw, but the Brimorians are slippery bastards..." Morgan said, sitting back in his chair. "If they can't force us out of here, they might conquer Terran worlds to pressure us into a system exchange."

Lynette nodded her agreement. "I've seen their countless diplomatic demands that we return their 'rightful territory'. The latest was a claim that the Callopean Shoals are of spiritual significance to the Brimorian people and that we're committing deep emotional suffering on their citizens with our presence there."

Morgan snorted derisively. "The Brimorians are the least spiritual people I've ever met... and that includes the Drakkar. These systems are packed full of resources and colonisable worlds; that's what has the Brimorians thrashing in their tanks to get them back."

"Just hang in there for a few more weeks. Dacres will be with you shortly, then I'll be sending upgraded fleets to take your position and rotate you back for a refit." She gave him a confident smile and added, "The Lion has bad blood with the Brimorians... I doubt we'll have to worry about them for too much longer."

"Not with the Maliri doing him personal favours," Morgan said with a disbelieving laugh. His laughter died as a shiver ran down the admiral's spine. "I know the Lion is your creation, Lynette... but are you sure you're not playing with fire letting him make alliances with the Regency? The Maliri aren't like any other aliens I know; we're like impudent kids to them... and they could turn and give us a spanking any time they please."

"They're certainly very powerful," she conceded, her tone cautious. "But they seem intent on helping us and we're not in any position to turn down any aid... not after the mess Buckingham left behind."

He nodded, a haunted look in his eyes. "How could Vincent just abandon the Outer Rim like that?" Morgan asked in a hushed voice. "The other day I had to tell a good man that the Kirrix wiped out his whole family. They chopped up his three kids and raped his wife... then she blew her brains out after she was rescued. When I told him they were gone, it was like watching the light go out in his eyes..."

"I really am sorry, Alex," she said, her voice full of compassion. "Maybe you should get some rest? I know exactly how distressing those notifications can be."

He slumped in his chair, making no attempt to hide his fatigue. "I might take a few hours to pull myself together..." Morgan gave her a grateful look. "Thank you for being so understanding, Lynette. I know I wasn't your greatest supporter when you were vying to be Fleet Admiral, but I freely admit I was wrong about you."

"Much appreciated," she said with a grateful smile. "I'm not looking for personal glory, I just want to do the right thing by the Terran Federation... and that means making sure my admirals are fighting fit. Take the rest of the day as leave, Alex, that's an order."

Morgan saluted, his mouth twitching upwards. "Acknowledged, Fleet Admiral."

Lynette returned the salute then ended the call with a heavy sigh. As her fingers were lifting for the comms interface again, Alyssa's concerned telepathic voice cut through her mind and stayed her hand.

*Jehanna's getting pretty angry. What's up? Isn't she supposed to be with you this morning?*

Glancing at the chronometer, Lynette was startled to see that it was 8:32am and that the reporter was running late. *I'll look into it, Alyssa. Thanks for letting me know.*

Jumping up from the sofa, the Fleet Admiral rushed into her bedroom and pressed her hand to the secure lockbox on her dresser. The DNA reader flashed green and the lid opened, revealing the elegant laser pistol and shield that Dana had given her. She holstered the weapon and attached the miniaturised shield generator to her belt, then jogged through her quarters to the exit.

Forcing herself to slow down, Lynette took a deep breath and opened the door, only to be met by raised voices.

"You're a civilian! You will not walk around my high-security zone armed! Now hand it over!" Colonel Fiske barked, his authoritative tone one that was seldom disobeyed.

"This is ridiculous!" Jehanna snapped, her patience pushed to the limit. "I'm going to the firing range with her! If I wanted to assassinate the Fleet Admiral, I could just turn around and blow her brains out!"

Lynette hurried out into the corridor as the security officer turned to the four guards who were watching the showdown in uncomfortable silence.

"Arrest Miss Elani!" Fiske snarled, bristling with fury.

Coleridge hesitated and asked, "On what charge, Sir?"

Before Fiske could continue, Lynette cut-in, saying sharply, "Belay that order."

Red-faced, the colonel whirled around and looked like he was about to make a heated comment, but he managed to keep his jaw clamped shut. Taking a deep breath, he strode over to Lynette and said under his breath, "Might I have a word in private, Fleet Admiral?"

She nodded and reopened the door to her quarters to usher him inside, leaving an exasperated Jehanna and the four uncomfortable guards standing in the corridor.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Lynette faced the fuming officer who towered over her. "Alright, let's have this out, Colonel Fiske... You have my permission to speak freely."

"You're taking ridiculous risks with your personal security!" he snapped, jabbing a finger at her. "It's my job to protect the Fleet Admiral and you seem to be trying your damnedest to make that task impossible!" Lip-curling with disgust, he continued, "I don't know what kind of operation you're used to running, but flouting long-established protocols out of sheer vanity is the kind of amateur mistake I'd expect from a junior officer, not the goddamn Fleet Admiral!"

Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him, not the least bit intimidated by his imposing height. "You and I both know that as Fleet Admiral I have almost limitless autonomy. I filed an executive order granting Jehanna Elani the right to bear firearms throughout the station and that specifically meant in my presence. I don't know what kind of Mickey Mouse operation you're used to operating under, but you will respect the chain of command. You can bluster all you like, Colonel, but you will obey my orders."

Fiske glared at her, his eyes glittering with fury. "But you're granting admiralty privileges to a civilian! Elani's a huge threat to your safety! It would be ridiculously easy to compromise her with threats to her family, then you're standing next to a ready-made assassin... and you put the gun in her hand!"

"I trust Jehanna Elani more than anyone else on this station!" Lynette snapped. "There are no circumstances in which she would ever betray me!"

He looked at her incredulously, having not missed the fact that the Fleet Admiral just stated she trusted a TFNN reporter more than her fiancé, a decorated member of High Command. "What are you keeping from me?!" he blurted out, his stare turning suspicious. "As the man charged with ensuring your safety, I have the right to-"

"You have no right to question me!" Lynette snarled. She pulled the imposing laser pistol out of her holster and brandished the sleek weapon under his nose. "Does that look like a standard-issue firearm to you?! Jehanna's been given a matching one! You're demanding answers to something that's five pay-grades above your clearance level! I give you an order and you obey it, that's what you have a right to do, Fiske!"

He looked at her sullenly, fuming at her rebuke.

Lynette looked him square in the eye. "If you have a problem serving under me, I strongly suggest you request an immediate transfer. One more incident of you deliberately disobeying my orders and I'll have you busted down to private and stuck on latrine detail for the next five years! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Fleet Admiral," he managed through gritted teeth.

She flicked her eyes at the door. "Get out of my sight."

The colonel was beet-red with anger as he turned on his heel and left, marching straight-backed out into the corridor as soon as the door slid open. Lynette followed him and beckoned Jehanna into her quarters, the reporter following after sharing discreet smiles with the security team.

"He's such an ass," Jehanna said with a weary sigh as soon as the door slid closed behind them. "Can't you just transfer him somewhere else?"

Lynette deactivated her holo-disguise and ran her fingers through her hair. "I probably should, but he is only trying to do his job. Were you stuck there long?"

"About ten minutes," Jehanna replied, rolling her eyes. "He was waiting for me outside my quarters and was adamant I wasn't going anywhere near yours until I handed over my pistol. As it was a gift from Dana, I refused."

"Just let me know if he gives you any more trouble," Lynette said, squeezing her hand. "I'd be amazed if he tries to defy me again."

"Will do," the reporter agreed with a grateful hug. "Shall we get going? For some reason, I'm really in the mood to go shooting!"

The Fleet Admiral laughed and nodded her agreement, then reactivated her holo-disguise. When they left her quarters and re-entered the corridor, there was no sign of the colonel. The security team saluted Lynette, then fell in behind her as the pair made their way to the Firing Range, arriving without further impediment.

A cheerful ginger-headed giant of a marine welcomed them on to the range with a salute. "Good morning, Fleet Admiral, I'll be your instructor for today," he said with a broad smile. "My name's Gunnery Sergeant McAdams, but everyone calls me Danish."

"It's good to meet you, Danish," Lynette replied, finding his amiable manner relaxing after the tense confrontation earlier.

"How did you get that nickname, Gunny?" Jehanna asked him with a disarming smile.

He ran his hand through his shock of hair. "Because it's Danish gold, definitely not ginger!" the sergeant replied, cracking a grin. After they both laughed, he gestured to the firing range. "I don't think I've seen either of you here before..."

"It's been thirty years since I last fired a handgun," Lynette admitted, following him to the shooting bench. "I was starting to feel embarrassed carrying a sidearm knowing I probably couldn't hit a barn door with it."

Danish looked at her with respect. "Good for you, ma'am. I recommended that senior officers maintain their weapons training, but I haven't exactly had members of the Admiralty flocking to my door." He glanced at Jehanna. "How about you, Miss Elani?"

She met his curious gaze with a troubled one of her own. "Two weeks ago..."

He paused when he saw that look, having seen it many times before. "I'm sorry," he stated with real conviction.

Jehanna acknowledged his concern with a grateful smile. "I suppose it's the reason why my father trained me so rigorously. I was threatened and acted by instinct..."

"He sounds like a wise man," Danish said kindly. "That's exactly the way you need to act if you're ever in severe danger. Hesitating and standing around aimlessly gets good people killed." He glanced at their holstered sidearms and continued, "I prepared a couple of pistols for you, but if you want to use your own weapons, just let me know."

Lynette patted the handgun on her hip. "I'll save this for an emergency. Standard-issue handguns will be just fine."

Jehanna stepped forward and picked up one of the pistols, checked the safety, then loaded the weapon with a smooth, confident action. "This is perfect, thanks."

Danish laughed and handed them both ear protectors. "Okay, Annie Oakley, show me what you can do." He tapped a button on the range control and a target dummy rose out of the deck 20 feet down the lane.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, then flicked off the safety. Jehanna raised her pistol in a fluid action and emptied the ten-round magazine into the dummy.

"Very nice!" Danish exclaimed, hitting another button that showed a holographic representation of all her hits. All ten rounds had struck the target, clustered in a three-inch disc in the centre of the dummy's torso. "I can see you don't need any training from me."

Jehanna gave him a self-conscious smile. "As I said, it's not my first time on a range."

The gunnery sergeant nodded. "Feel free to pick a lane and have at it."

Once she had gathered a dozen magazines, Jehanna stepped aside to make way for Lynette. The Fleet Admiral picked up the handgun and stepped up to the firing lane, trying to remember the lessons from her firearms instructor back when she was completing basic training at the Academy.

"Would you like a quick refresher?" Danish offered, seeing her hesitation.

When she nodded, he went through basic firearms safety and shooting technique, making her glad she'd accepted. After he replaced the target dummy with a fresh one, Lynette raised the pistol, holding it in a two-handed grip and aimed at the target. Flicking off the safety, she braced herself for the recoil that Danish had forewarned her about and squeezed the trigger.

Firing a pistol again after 30 years came as a shock. It felt a lot lighter than the last time she'd held a handgun like this and the recoil was barely noticeable, her grip steady as a rock. Unfortunately, she'd been so fixated on anticipating the kick from the gun, Lynette hadn't been aiming properly. The shot went suitably wide, hitting the target dummy in the arm with a puff of polycarbonate fragments marking the impact point.

"After thirty years, you did well to even hit the dummy," Danish said, giving her an encouraging smile. "Hitting something that size from this range with a pistol is harder than it looks. Keep squeezing off some rounds, you'll get better."

She did as he asked and took careful aim before firing again. With her young eyes, the dummy was sharp and clear, as was the flecked texture of the polycarbonate material forming the target dummy's chest. This time her bullet landed centre-mass, right where she'd aimed it.

"There you go!" Danish exclaimed, happy for her.

Lynette fired twice more, the pistol barely wavering in her grip as the muzzle flared with each 10mm caseless round leaving the chamber. Those two rounds hit to the left and right of the first, within no more than an inch of each other. She beamed in delight, darting a triumphant look at her instructor.

The gunnery sergeant was oblivious to her glance; his jaw had dropped open as he stared downrange in astonishment. "Well, I'll be damned..."

*You got the deluxe upgrade, Lynette,* Alyssa gently cautioned her. *Unless you're deliberately showing off your enhancements, some caution might be a good idea...*

Fighting down the surge of elation, Lynette aimed up and to the left then squeezed the trigger, bouncing the round off the target dummy's shoulder. There was a plink from the end of the range as the bullet slammed into the safety wall.

"Oh well," she said with a shrug. "I guess beginner's luck has to run out sometime."

Danish laughed and turned her way. "I thought you were hustling me for a minute there! You're off to a great start, ma'am. Keep practicing regularly and we'll make a solid marksman out of you in no time."

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile, before raising her pistol to fire off some more rounds.

Rather than aiming for centre mass, Lynette decided to start picking off internal organs in alphabetical order. It made for a satisfying game and kept her shots from being tightly clustered.

Tuning out the gunnery sergeant's encouraging words, Lynette asked eagerly, *So... tell me more about these enhancements?*

*Well... John was hardly going to leave you defenceless...* Alyssa replied with a wry smile.

***

John stirred awake as he felt soft lips gently kissing his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, he found Tashana and Irillith lying to either side of him, the Maliri twins greeting him with loving smiles.

As Irillith kissed him again, Tashana said quietly, "Good morning."

"Mmm, I could get used to being woken up like that," he said with a contented sigh, putting his arms around both girls and hugging them tight.

They snuggled in closer, firm breasts pressed against his chest.

"Thank you for last night," Irillith whispered, watching him with a tender expression on her face. "I was in such a state of bliss by the end, I don't know if I actually said it."

"I'm starting to see why Dana was so desperate to come with us," Tashana agreed, violet eyes softened with love.

He kissed each of them in turn. "I know exactly what you mean. It's been such a relief to just relax and enjoy your company, rather than worrying about who needs feeding next."

"Too many deserving tummies, not enough time?" Tashana asked with a knowing smile.

John nodded. "Exactly!"

Irillith looked at him with amusement. "I bet you never thought you'd be complaining about having to choose which girl from your harem was going to give you the next blowjob?"

He laughed and shrugged sheepishly. "Alright, I freely admit I'm spoiled." He ran his fingers through the twins' soft white hair, cupping their heads in his hands. "But I've really appreciated being able to spend some time alone with both of you. It's felt relaxed and uncomplicated, which I've really been missing."

"Happy to be of service, my Lord," Irillith said with playful deference.

John smiled and pulled her in for another kiss. *Morning ladies,* he thought to his trio of matriarchs.

They each greeted him cheerfully, with Jade adding, *We'll be arriving in the Eta Tauri system in twenty minutes. We're already starting to pick up a mass of Kirrix sensor contacts.*

*Thanks, honey. Is it safe for you to join us for a few minutes? I should probably top you up before we arrive, just in case.*

*On my way!* the Nymph gleefully replied.

"Are you two ready for breakfast?" John asked the twins, after finishing a delicious kiss with Tashana.

Their eyes sparkled as the Maliri girls nodded eagerly. The cabin door opened a moment later and Jade rushed inside, bounding onto the bed to join them.

"Someone's hungry this morning," he said, smiling at her indulgently.

Jade gave him a dazzling smile, then leaned over to kiss the tip of his nose. "Close your eyes, Master. Let's make this a little more entertaining..."

John did as she asked, wondering what the playful Nymph was up to now. He heard giggling a moment later and the twins pulled away from him, then moved across the bed.

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