Three Square Meals Ch. 103

"That wasn't a threat, it was a promise," Tashana said ominously, snapping her hand closed and extinguishing the tableau. "Don't hurt her again."

"I won't!" Henry gasped, stumbling back a step. "I love my daughter, I don't want to hurt her!"

She watched him for a long moment, then nodded, seemingly satisfied by his response. "My father died many years ago and I'd give anything just for a few minutes with him again. Don't waste this opportunity to atone for what you did to Rachel. That poor girl was devastated when her mother died and she deserved far better than the shabby way you've treated her so far."

Henry deflated and nodded. "I know and I'm trying to make up for that."

"I'm ready!" Rachel called out from the office, walking across the room to join them. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

The redness around her eyes from crying was gone now, washed away along with the tears she'd shed for her mother. Stunningly beautiful once more, his daughter gave him a radiant smile.

"It's quite alright, I'm not in any rush," Henry said, smiling back at her.

She looked at him curiously, her perceptive eyes studying his face. "Is something the matter? You look unsettled... anxious even."

"Err, no... everything's fine," he hastily replied, glancing at their companion. "Tashana was just telling me how much she misses her own father."

Rachel's eyes softened and she smiled in sympathy at the armoured girl. Reaching out to place her hand on Tashana's arm, she said, "I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me... I didn't think how hard this must be for you. If you want to head back to the ship that's perfectly understandable."

"No, I'm fine, don't worry about me," Tashana replied, her tone affectionate. "Besides, you know I'm not going to let you wander around the station unguarded, John and Alyssa would be furious."

Henry was astounded by the dramatic shift in the mysterious woman's voice; it was like liquid honey now, sweet and full of warmth as she spoke to his daughter. He was left in no doubt just how much Tashana cared for his girl, leaving him facing a flurry of surprising emotions. While he was glad Rachel was surrounded by people who obviously loved her a great deal, he couldn't help feeling like he'd been replaced in her heart, leaving him with a sense of profound loss.

Rachel was about to slip her arm through his, but she hesitated and looked at him shyly, then held his little finger with her hand. "Alright, let's go!"

Henry tried not to choke up as he felt a sudden onrush of memories. His little girl had always reached up to grab his finger rather than hold his hand, even when she grew bigger, right up until the day she found out that her mother had died.

They left his office and started making their way towards Olympus' primary Medical Centre. The corridors were busy with personnel despite the late hour, base staff and ship crews returning from Docking Bay One, still abuzz after welcoming the Lion and his Lionesses to the shipyard. With Rachel in her uniform and Tashana in her armour, both girls were instantly recognisable to everyone they met, and their every step was met with cheers, friendly greetings, or earnest thanks.

Henry was a famous figure within the Terran Federation, so was used to a certain degree of recognition from the public. However, the way the girls were greeted was like nothing he'd ever seen before, leaving him watching in astonishment. While Rachel acknowledged the crowds with a warm smile and friendly words, her fellow Lioness remained quiet, walking calmly behind her. Henry glanced over his shoulder at the armoured woman and immediately noticed the difference in her stance.

Tashana was watching everyone that approached them like a hawk. Her helmeted head flicked back and forth with tiny movements as she evaluated the crowd, judging if they posed a possible threat. Those armoured fingers were actually resting on her twin pistols now and he could see just how seriously this intimidating woman took her role as Rachel's protector. He also finally realised that she was there to keep his daughter safe on their travels through Olympus, not to protect Rachel from himself.

The crowds eventually thinned out and Henry glanced at his daughter as they walked along one of the huge central hallways. "Rachel... would you tell me a bit more about your life?"

"What would you like to know?" she asked, looking surprised but pleased.

"Everything," he said gently, squeezing her hand.

Henry listened to his daughter as she told him about the life she'd made for herself aboard the Invictus. She spoke about her role as Chief Medical Officer; how much she enjoyed researching alien species and her professional pride in curing a multitude of supposedly incurable afflictions. He nodded as he listened to her attentively and Rachel started to relax, realising that he was genuinely interested and not judging her for her choice of career. She started to talk about more personal things, discussing her friends and the close relationships she'd nurtured with the crew. Her face lit up with joy as she talked about Dana and it was obvious just how much the redhead meant to her.

"Dana sounds like a very special girl," Henry said, smiling at his daughter. "I'm glad that she makes you so happy."

Rachel beamed at him and leaned into his arm as they walked. "She's absolutely amazing!" Glancing over her shoulder, she flashed a smile at Tashana. "They all are."

"You haven't told me much about your fiancé," he said with a smile, glancing down at the gleaming engagement ring circling her slender finger.

She blushed as she followed his gaze, then looked up at her father with concern and regret in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. John wanted to ask for your permission the last time we were on New Eden, but I ruined it by getting into a huge row with you. I asked him not to wait and he proposed a week later..."

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault. It takes two to argue," Henry said, swallowing the lump in his throat, realising what his stubborn pride had cost him once again. "May I see the ring?"

Rachel showed him the impressive grey diamond set in an intricately carved silver band, the gemstone quite clearly chosen to match the colour of her eyes. "He made it himself," she breathed, her voice filled with love.

"A Vice Admiral in the military, a trader worth millions, and now a jeweller..." Henry said with a wry smile. "It seems there's no end to the Lion's talents."

"He taught me to cook too," she replied, with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

"You seem to have landed the most eligible bachelor in the Federation," he said, lifting her hand and kissing it. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"An improvement over Axel?" she asked with a giggle.

He laughed and nodded, remembering the dreadful tattooed biker she'd brought home years ago to antagonise him. Pausing for a second, he turned to face his daughter. "John seems like a good man, Rachel, and he obviously loves you very much. Your mother would have approved, I'm sure of it."

"Stop, you're going to make me cry again," Rachel murmured, stepping closer into his embrace.

Henry wrapped his arms around her and glanced nervously at Tashana. Although he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was smiling back at him in amusement. She patted him on the arm, then stepped away to give them some privacy.

When Rachel had composed herself, she slipped her arm through his and glanced down the corridor. "It's not far to the closest Medical Centre. I want to help everyone there before they start receiving the wounded fleet personnel from Terra."

He nodded, walking with her along the corridor until they saw the brightly lit facility, the glowing red caduceus clearly identifying it as a place of healing. Henry could sense his daughter's anticipation, given away by the extra spring in her step as they approached the glass-panelled doors. She looked his way and there was a shining excitement in her eyes as she beamed a brilliant smile at him.

"Go ahead," he said indulgently, releasing her arm and giving her an encouraging pat on the back.

Rachel nodded then took the lead, breezing through the double doors as they swished open for her. She was confident now, self-assured in her persona of a Lioness as she glided into the centre. "Good evening," she said cheerfully, to the two people standing at the reception desk.

The receptionist was talking to an older dark-skinned medic in a long white coat, but they paused their conversation to give the new arrival a perfunctory glance, and a polite hello. Henry watched in fascination as both of them suddenly recognised the stunning brunette who had swept into their domain, the doctor and receptionist alike doing a shocked double-take.

"Doctor Voss!" the older man gasped, his eyes like saucers.

Rachel glanced at his nametag, while greeting him with a pleasant smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Danjuma. Your paper on treating skin necrosis surrounding laser burns was fascinating."

"T-thank you!" he stammered, stunned that she was even familiar with his research.

She raised an eyebrow as she studied the tranquil reception area. "It looks like you haven't received any of the injured personnel from the Battle of Terra yet. I was hoping to help clear your wards for you so that you can accept more patients."

"That would be wonderful!" he gushed, nodding eagerly. "If you'd like to follow me, I'd love to see your talents firsthand! I-I mean, we have a great number of people you can help..."

Rachel inclined her head and smiled at him. "Lead on then, Doctor."

Henry followed after the flustered doctor, as he led Rachel through a set of double-doors into an immaculately clean corridor, the sharp smell of disinfectant lingering in the air. There were two armed guards stationed here, who glanced reflexively at Tashana as she strolled in wearing full body armour. They recognised her distinctive Paragon suit immediately, eyes lingering on the white Lioness symbols floating above her armoured pauldrons, and made no move to stop her.

Danjuma had a comms device wrapped around his forearm and he spoke into it in a furtive whisper, the holographic faces of his colleagues registering their shock as he informed them of the arrival of their celebrity guest. Rachel glanced back over her shoulder at her father and winked at him, as he watched the stunned reaction by the medics. By the time they reached the first ward, doctors were running down the corridors to catch up to them.

There were forty patients in this ward, twenty on either side, all those not sedated with neural-blockers watching the scrambling doctors in bewilderment. Henry could see the horrible scars and disfiguring injuries these navy personnel had received in battle, the shimmering blue of force fields protecting them in hermetically sealed environments to prevent infection of their wounds. The closest hospital bed on the right was occupied by a young woman. The brunette would have once been considered pretty, but that was before she sustained the horrific wound across the right side of her face that had cost her an eye.

Rachel approached and gave the medical charts a cursory glance before smiling at the grievously injured woman. "Hello, Lieutenant Catherine Pearce. According to your notes, you fought at Regulus?"

Pearce nodded and gave her a brave smile. "Yes, I was at Regulus." She gestured towards the rest of the ward. "All of us were there. I'm an engineer on the Hyperion... or at least I was. A plasma fire destroyed the aft starboard power regulator and the feedback surge made the console I was working on explode." Her hand lifted self-consciously to her ravaged face. "They say I'm lucky to be alive..."

By her bleak tone, Henry could tell the young woman wasn't entirely convinced.

Rachel nodded sombrely. "They were right. I can't heal the dead..."

She inhaled deeply, her eyes losing focus as she channelled her will inward. Suddenly those beguiling grey orbs were glowing with a shining inner radiance, and a moment later, Rachel was surrounded by a soft aura that spread out to engulf the wounded woman. Pearce gasped in shock, her startled cry echoed by the other injured personnel in the room as Rachel walked into the centre of the ward, her healing shroud reaching out to touch them all. The medics looked on in wonder as surgical scars closed and smoothed over, while missing limbs began to slowly reform, bones and flesh knitting together to their utter astonishment.

"You're her... the Angel of Terra!" Pearce blurted out, her newly restored green eye seeing again for the first time in months. She staggered over to Rachel and fell to her knees beside her, tears streaming down her face as she looked up in wonder. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"My friends usually just call me Rachel," she replied with a kind smile, reaching out to stroke the young woman's cheek, her pretty face made whole once more. "And you're welcome."

Soon Rachel was surrounded by patients overwhelmed with gratitude, who alternated between gaping at her reverently and darting disbelieving glances at their regenerated bodies. Henry was sure his own expression was as shocked and filled with wonder as everyone else's in the room, but he was the only one there bursting with paternal pride for his remarkable daughter. Rachel turned back to look at him, tentatively seeking her father's approval one more time. When she saw that pride shining in his eyes, her face lit up with joy, making her seem even more angelic with that beatific smile.

"Thank you," Tashana said softly, placing an approving hand on his shoulder.

***

John clicked his back with a groan, then stood up to stretch his legs after sitting on the deck for the last two hours. Smiling with satisfaction, he studied the full set of Crystal Alyssium plates he'd just finished deca-shaping for the Valkyrie. The mech had been so badly mauled that he'd decided to make a brand new set of armour, rather than attempt to salvage the old plasma-scorched plates. Two of the maintenance bots hovered across the Cargo Bay towards the stacked plates, before picking up the closest pile in their sturdy six-fingered grip. They appeared to nod respectfully to Faye as they floated past, their rictus grins giving them a very creepy vibe.

The purple sprite gave them a playful salute in return, then spun around to smile at John. "Is that all the armour plates?"

"Yeah that's the full set for the Valkyrie," John replied, watching the bots glide away. "Faye, did they just nod at you?"

She looked worried and said in a terse whisper, "You weren't supposed to see that..." She glanced at the departing robots before facing him again. "My robotic minions were letting me know that they were all set to overthrow the crew tonight... Now you've rumbled me, I'm going to have to change all my diabolic plans!"

He laughed and pulled the giggling girl into a hug. "You're getting far too cheeky. I wonder if you're ticklish?"

Faye squealed with laughter as he tickled her under the arms and across her tummy, until she finally begged him to stop. He set her down and they shared a grin.

"Apparently so," he said with a smirk.

"Let me know when it's time to give her a spanking!" Alyssa called over to him.

John looked across the Cargo Bay, where Alyssa was lounging indolently against some crates. She made casual flicking motions with her fingers as she deca-shaped eight armoured panels simultaneously, before adding them to the mountainous stack of plating for the Invictus.

Strolling over to her, he encircled her waist with his arms and kissed her neck. "You look like you're getting bored..."

"I was bored two hours ago," the blonde admitted, leaning back against his chest. "Although Rachel started to make things interesting..."

"Really, how so?" he asked, watching as she siphoned off a stream of liquid metal and began quickly reshaping it.

"I hope you don't need any of us to use our powers before bedtime tonight... Rachel's going on a healing extravaganza and I thought I'd indulge her. She's showing off for her dad, so I'm giving her everything we've got... At this rate I think she might actually eclipse you in popularity; everyone she heals absolutely adores her."

John nodded thoughtfully. "This is actually great practice for Rachel. She can't just train her abilities whenever she wants, like the rest of you, so it's a good opportunity for her to push herself a bit." He hesitated before giving Alyssa a gentle squeeze. "Please keep an eye on her so she doesn't strain herself too much."

She turned to look back at him over her shoulder, so that he wouldn't miss her rolling her eyes.

"Alright, I know you've got it covered," he said with a smile, but not before giving her a playful smack on the rump.

She moaned appreciatively, then ground her bottom against him, grinning as he started to stiffen against her succulent backside. "I'd love to take care of that for you, but that load belongs in another tummy tonight..."

"That reminds me, I'd better go and check on Jehanna," John said, knowing the reporter would wake from her second feeding soon.

"I'm sure Helene can't wait for hers too," the blonde said with a knowing smile.

Before John could reply, the double doors on the far side of the Cargo Bay slid open and Sakura came bounding over to join them. "John! Could I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?" he asked, starting to move.

Alyssa shook her head. "Uh-uh, you're not going anywhere. I like you just where you are..." She gripped his length with her toned cheeks and ground back against him.

Sakura smiled at John's appreciative groan. "I was wondering if I could ask a favour..."

"I'm feeling in a particularly... giving mood," he murmured, holding onto Alyssa's hips as she gyrated against him. "Just name it..."

The Asian girl grinned at him, her brown eyes sparkling as she held up the holo-reader and pointed at the rotating image. "I want one of these!"

He looked at the glossy holographic brochure and laughed as he nodded. "Rachel's not going to be able to keep her hands off you." He glanced at Faye and continued, "I've been meaning to give everyone some spending money. Please contact the bank for me and arrange for all the girls to have their own sub-account set up with say... a million credits each."

"Making the call right now!" Faye replied, smiling at Sakura's stunned expression.

"You're giving me a million credits..." the Asian girl mumbled, her almond-shaped eyes wide with shock.

Alyssa reluctantly released John, so that he could pull Sakura into his arms. "We're family, it was always our money," he said, brushing his fingers through her silky raven hair. "I don't want you to have to ask my permission if you want to buy something."

She looked up at him under her long lashes and gave him a coy smile. "Actually, I quite like it..."

Alyssa sidled up to him and embraced him from behind. "You can still hold my purse strings too. Then I'll have to bribe you with naughty sexual favours when I want something..."

He laughed and shook his head with amusement. "You two are as bad as each other!"

"Actually, Sakura likes being your shy submissive," Alyssa purred, licking the tip of his ear. "Whereas I thoroughly enjoy being your insatiable seductress..."

"You're a pair of vixens," he said with a grin. He gave Sakura a tender kiss, then turned for a smouldering one from Alyssa. "As much as I'd love to take this further, I need to go and check on Jehanna, she'll be waking up in a minute."

Alyssa pouted, then gave the Asian girl a flirtatious smile. "Would you like to help me make all this shaping more fun? I'd be interested to see if I can still do it while I'm being... distracted."