Note: this chapter is set before chapter one, time line wise, with flashbacks going back to well before Ashes of Victory.

Haven

Two

Eloise Pritchart often felt a stab of guilt over her actions, even though she knew her lover understood. For the last few years Javier Giscard had been all over the Republic, 'pissing on forest fires' as he liked to put it. On one of his infrequent visits they had relaxed into afterglow from good sex, then they talked.

"Eloise," Javier smiled wryly as he ran her blonde hair through his fingers, "we both know you have... needs."

"And you don't, Mr I'll do it all night?" Eloise laughed as she cuddled.

Javier laughed, "Down, girl. Seriously, I'm going to be gone months at a time...."

Eloise gave him a thoughtful look as she said, "And you want to sleep around so you're freeing me to sleep around."

"No!" Javier yelped as he blushed furiously.

Eloise snickered softly at that. "Thank you for the thought," she told him gently, "but it really isn't necessary."

"I suppose so," Javier agreed, "but keep the option open."

"Javier," Eloise poked him in the side.

"Hey!" Javier brightened as he mused, "It could even be a woman. That way I'll have pleasant dreams out in the field too."

"Pig!" Eloise laughed, tickling him till he nearly pissed himself laughing.

Sadly, after Javier had returned to the fleet and his regular duties of putting down rebellions and squashing corrupt dictators, his suggestion lingered in Eloise's mind. To be honest she had fooled around with a woman or two when she was younger, not to mention a rather embarrassing incident with Kevin Usher's WIFE. Plotted by Kevin himself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Kevin!" Eloise yelped.

"She has a cute blush," Virginia 'Ginny' Usher noted, the gorgeous former slave entirely un-bothered by being completely unclothed. She lounged where she had been laying as Eloise yanked the sheets over to cover herself up.

"Yup," Kevin agreed, the massive marine colonel looking amused by the whole situation. "Don't stop on my account," he added with a grin.

"Get out!" Eloise pitched a pillow at him, then reached for a lamp.

"I'm going, I'm going," Kevin laughed as he slipped out.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

'And to think, Ginny wanted us to keep going!' Eloise thought to herself ruefully.

But the germ of an idea just wouldn't die, and Eloise found herself looking thoughtfully at the people she worked with. Most of the staff of the Octagon and the Ministers of government were out, of course. She had to work with them every day and more importantly she couldn't really imagine having sex with them. There was Admiral Chin but Eloise soon realized that with her running around the Republic Eloise would be in the same position she was with Javier!

Then that tactical briefing came up, and Eloise was reunited with... HER.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Bolthole was one of those things Eloise had mixed feelings about. On one hand she fully understood that Haven's military needed to get up to a level where it could compete with Manticore. Or at least survive against them! But on the other hand she hated the covert funding and partially deceiving Congress they had to do to keep Bolthole a secret and prevent Manticore from finding out they were building new ships and weapons.

"You have that pained look again," Thomas Theisman noted, "thinking about when you're going to tell Congress about Bolthole?"

"Did the ability to read my mind come with becoming Minister of War?" Eloise had to ask.

"No, it's a gift," Thomas laughed warmly. He looked up as the door to the conference room opened, "And here's the star of our show."

"Don't say that," Shannon Foraker smiled weakly as she walked in, looking smart in her dress uniform, "or I'll get stage fright."

"You'll be fine," Eloise croaked. She remembered the quiet, withdrawn officer from the bridge of the flagship, she remembered the more outgoing young officer who accompanied them to Haven months ago, but she never expected her to grow so much.

"Thank you Madam President," Shannon smiled and it was like she lit up the room.

'I think it's the contrast from her usual serious expression,' Eloise silently mused as she watched Shannon brief her most trusted ministers. She calmly described their new generation of pod-dreadnoughts, the light attack craft and the carriers that would move them, all in a clear and quite intelligent way. She didn't talk down to them and was even upfront about what they couldn't do, too.

"Our greatest difficulty has been that our tech-base can't copy the level of miniaturization Manticore routinely uses," Shannon finished, "but I believe we've come up with several brute force solutions to those problems."

"How long till they're in full production?" Kevin Usher asked, the head of the Republic's police studying her thoughtfully.

"That's the problem," Shannon admitted, "we are literally figuring out how to build these things by trial and error. I estimate we'll be up to speed in six months or so, and pumping out our first pod-dreadnought in six more months."

"A year, probably more," Thomas sighed. "Well, I know you'll be doing your best for us."

"Yes sir," Shannon nodded.

'She's so cute,' Eloise sighed, then shook herself. 'Mind on business!' she reminded herself. "I think you've done a wonderful job, Vice Admiral."

Shannon actually blushed and Eloise had to bight back a laugh.

Thomas looked amused too. "Shannon, if you drop the Madam Presidents I bet Eloise will drop the Vice Admiral," he noted.

"I couldn't!" Shannon blurted, blushing even harder.

"Yes you can," Eloise smiled devilishly, "El-o-ise. It's not hard to say."

Shannon looked down as she mumbled, "Eloise?"

"Better," Eloise laughed, "now just a bit louder, next time."

"Don't tease her," Denis LePic said, though he was fighting back a smile himself.

"Well, good work," Thomas repeated. He looked at Shannon curiously, "You're not heading back to Bolthole till later this week?"

"Yes, and on a round about route too," Shannon admitted, "Kevin wants to throw off any possible Manticore agents."

"Poor thing," Kevin laughed.

Shannon stuck her tongue out at him and Eloise nearly choked trying to hold back a laugh. Clearing her throat she said, "Thomas and I were planning a working dinner to talk about the Bolthole designs. Would you like to come along, Shannon?"

Shannon smiled a little as she shyly answered, "Sure, I'd like that."

The meal that night was enjoyable, more for teasing the lovely young woman than the work that was accomplished. She found herself oddly enraptured by the young woman's manner, her voice and her sweet, shy smile.

When Thomas left and she and Shannon were alone, Eloise intended to simply send her on her way to visiting officers quarters. But it was late at night and the weather foul, so Eloise offered the young woman her couch, so they could talk a little longer. Conversation, a bit of wine and they ended up in bed, instead.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Some years after that first, tentative night Eloise smiled as the ship she was traveling in returned to Bolthole once again. Officially she was there for a meeting on the ships coming out of Bolthole, but that was later tomorrow. Today was hers, and she looked forward to seeing Shannon again.

To be continued....

Notes: Made some edits to make this jive better with part one and three.