The Invictus dropped out of hyper-warp at the edge of the Alpha Centauri system, its huge engines blazing to life before the tachyon particles even had a chance to dissipate. Following a familiar path, the battlecruiser roared towards Gravitus, a volcanic planet that had been terraformed by the Federation into a spectacular jewel of the Core Worlds. However, the warship's destination wasn't the planet itself, but Olympus Shipyard, the vast six-armed space station in high orbit above.
The space surrounding Olympus was packed with hundreds of grey-hulled warships, all arrayed in fleets that were still recovering their strength after the apocalyptic Battle of Terra. Largest amongst those imposing military vessels were a trio of Terran Federation dreadnoughts, their colossal hulls bristling with rows of deadly gun batteries. Those intimidating behemoths dwarfed the white battlecruiser that weaved between them, but appearances could be deceptive, and the Invictus carried enough firepower to effortlessly obliterate every warship in the system.
There was a strict port speed in place around Olympus shipyard, but such restrictions no longer applied to the Lion of the Federation. The Invictus thundered past long lines of civilian traffic waiting permission to dock, the crews of those freighters pointing excitedly at the shark-like predator that glided through their midst. Sweeping around to face one of the larger docking bays, the Invictus cruised into Olympus' welcoming embrace, returning to its birthplace like the prodigal son.
A small group waited patiently inside the enormous hangar, their eyes following the battlecruiser with eager anticipation as it glided in to land. Two of the women and the man were dressed in iron-grey uniforms, the epaulettes on their formal jackets and insignias on their peaked hats identifying them as Terran Federation Admirals. The last member of the group was an exceptionally attractive Indian woman, who wore a stylish burgundy dress that showcased her lovely figure. Despite her natural beauty, her heart-shaped face was drawn, dark eyes shadowed with emotion.
When the Invictus' airlock door spiralled open, John stepped outside, accompanied by Alyssa, Calara, Rachel, and Sakura. The Asian girl was armed with her twin ninjato and sheathed in a sparkling white Paragon suit. John opened his arms to Jehanna, who rushed into that protective embrace, desperate to be held by him again.
"I missed you so much!" she gasped, trembling with relief.
"I missed you too, honey," John replied, the rumble of his deep baritone voice sending a thrill through her body. "I'm here now and everything's going to be alright."
Jehanna let out a breathy sigh, drawing enormous comfort from her boyfriend's inspiring presence.
John looked over her shoulder and smiled at the approaching admirals. Before he could say a word in greeting, Rachel hugged the TFNN reporter from behind.
"Thank you for saving my father," she whispered in Jehanna's ear, her voice throbbing with emotion.
Lifting her head from John's chest, Jehanna turned to smile at the brunette over her shoulder. "It was the least I could do after everything you've done for me. Now that's one less I owe you."
"Lionesses don't keep score with each other," Rachel murmured, kissing her gently on the cheek. "But I'll show you my appreciation later..."
Pulling away from the blushing reporter, Rachel turned to face the trio of admirals who had walked over to join them. "It's good to see you again, Fleet Admiral. You too, Admiral Harris."
"Likewise, Doctor Voss. Abigail and your father are in Med-Centre Four," the Fleet Admiral informed her, knowing that the young woman would appreciate skipping the pleasantries. "Do you need an escort to the medical facility?"
The brunette shook her head. "Thank you, but no; I've been there before."
Rachel hurried away, with Sakura falling into step beside her. As they departed, both girls made brief eye-contact with Lynette, sharing a furtive smile with her and nodding respectfully.
John gestured towards the Invictus. "Come on in; we've got a lot to discuss."
They all filed through the airlock, with Calara waiting until everyone was safely inside before shutting the outer door behind them. The moment it had spiralled closed, Alyssa flung her arms around Lynette, disrupting the Fleet Admiral's holo-disguise.
"I'm so glad you're alright!" Alyssa gushed as she gave the brunette a huge hug. "We were all so worried about you!"
John clapped Charles on the back in a manly hug. "You tough old bastard! I heard all about the gunfight in the Galleria; they should've sent an entire company to take you down!"
Charles broke into a broad smile, his moustache twitching. "It was Lynette that saved us. It turns out my fiancée had a few tricks up her sleeve."
Glancing at Lynette, John gave her a look filled with gratitude. "Nice work, Fleet Admiral."
She beamed at him in delight, John's earnest praise and Alyssa's heartfelt concern giving her a tremendous boost to her spirits. "I can't take all the credit either. If it wasn't for Dana's gifts, I'd never have been able to stop that ISD squad in time."
"She'll want all the gory details," John said, with a wry grin. "All the girls are looking forward to seeing you again."
Charles was listening to the exchange with particular interest, until Alyssa stepped over to him and planted a tender kiss on his cheek. "I was terrified we might have lost you, Charles. Please don't scare me like that again."
Touching his cheek where she kissed him, he stammered. "I-I won't... I promise."
He darted a guilty glance at Lynette and saw that she was watching him with a fond smile. Charles let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, realising that she wasn't in the slightest bit jealous.
Alyssa walked over to Jehanna and simply enfolded her in a loving embrace. She didn't say a word to the raven-maned beauty, but the three admirals could all see Jehanna leaning into her for support and nodding occasionally, as if listening to comforting words.
John watched with sympathy, then turned his attention to the third admiral in their midst and greeted her with a salute. "It's good to see you again, Admiral Van Den Broeck. I was very relieved to hear that you survived the attack on Olympus as well."
Lina had been watching the surprising outburst of exuberant greetings with bemusement. She managed to collect herself and gave John a coy smile. "Oh, I think by this point we can dispense with formalities and you can start calling me Lina. Would you mind extending me the same courtesy? Admiral John Blake, Lion of the Federation, is quite the mouthful..."
He raised an eyebrow at the subtle innuendo and glanced at Lynette, curious to know just how much the brunette had revealed to her. "Sure, feel free to call me John," he replied to the flirtatious redhead, not taking his eyes off his secret Lioness.
Lynette met his scrutiny with an innocent look. "It's good to see you again, John."
"You too," he replied, really meaning it. "As Alyssa said, it was a hell of a shock to hear Olympus was under attack. I'm just glad you're all okay."
Alyssa slipped her hand into Lina's and beckoned to Charles and Lynette. "Let's get you three a drink and we can all have a nice chat. He'll be along in a minute."
