Three Square Meals Ch. 115

"Buckingham was to blame," Rachel said, rubbing her arm. "If it's any consolation, his last moments were spent in abject terror... until he was ripped apart by the Kintark Emperor."

Lucyna brightened a little. "You know what? That does make me feel a bit better."

"I thought it might," the young woman said with a wry smile. "Now, are you going to introduce me to your husband?"

Rachel waited as Lucyna walked over to speak quietly to Theo. He listened to her and seemed reluctant at first, but his wife became more insistent, until he finally wilted as she wagged a finger in his face.

"Doctor Voss, this is my husband, Theo," Lucyna said, with an arm around his waist.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the brunette said, greeting him warmly. "I was curious what kind of man could tame a woman as belligerent as Luce."

Theo actually chuckled at that and glanced down at his frowning wife. "Yeah, she can be a handful alright. I'm not sure I ever had much luck taming her though..."

"C'mon, you big oaf," Lucyna grumbled, trying to hide her smile of delight at hearing him laugh. "I must need my head examined letting you anywhere near these gorgeous girls, but one of them wants to chat to you..."

"She does?" he asked in confusion.

"If you'd care to follow me, there's somewhere we can go to speak in private," Rachel said, leading them over to the far side of the hangar.

They walked through the big double doors into the corridor beyond, then the brunette opened a second set of doors, revealing the interior of the Mech Bay. The two colonists stared in awe at the thirty-metre-tall war machine, their eyes drawn inexorably to the Valkyrie's huge guns as it towered above them, dominating the room.

Rachel cleared her throat to get their attention. "Luce, Theo, I'd like to introduce you to Helene. She's taken on the role of the Invictus' counsellor."

Theo tensed at hearing the word counsellor, but one look at Helene's captivating smile left him speechless.

"It's lovely to meet you both," the aquatic girl said, gazing at each of them in turn with her guileless baby-blue eyes.

"Yeah... likewise," Theo murmured, desperately trying not to stare at Helene's luscious figure, which was showcased to devastating effect in her figure-hugging aquamarine dress.

Lucyna bit her lip, then looked up at her husband. "Theo, this lady wants to talk to you... I mean us... about what happened with the Bugs."

He visibly crumpled, his expression shadowing with shame. "I don't want to talk about it..." he muttered, glaring at his wife. "I can't believe you'd do this..."

Helene stepped closer and clasped his hand, her teal fingers wonderfully soft against his skin. "You've been through a terrible ordeal," she whispered, those gentle eyes full of compassion. "You were so brave... but we're here to help you now. Please let us..."

Theo opened his mouth to reply, when he suddenly felt a lovely warmth seem to flow through him, scattering his thoughts. He felt like he was wrapped up in soft feathery blanket, his mind safe, protected and suffused with a gentle kindness that took his breath away.

"Luce loves you so much, Theo," Helene said quietly, her expression caring and full of sympathy. "She's so proud of you, but she's scared and hurt too, and needs you to be strong to help her..."

He looked down at his wife in horror and pulled her into his arms. "Oh God... Luce, I'm so sorry!"

Lucyna hugged him fiercely, weeping into his chest as she finally let go of her tightly-wound emotions. Theo held her close, tears rolling down his cheeks as they clung to each other for support.

Helene stroked their backs, her voice soothing as she said, "You don't have to feel any shame or embarrassment about what happened in the past... that's all over with now. All that matters is you have your future together... as husband and wife who love each other with all your hearts."

She pushed a psychic wave through their subconscious, the gentle teal-hued tide flowing through their minds and seeking out the traumatic events they'd experienced. Every time a pulse crested over those pathways, it robbed them of the anguish, disgust, and terror that made those experiences so humiliating. The colours faded, the virulent greens and browns replaced by a serene shade of aquamarine, as the empath gave them decades' worth of closure in a matter of minutes.

Lucyna looked up at her husband's astonished face and saw no sign of the broken man who had emerged from the Kirrix hive ship. Her heart felt like it was bursting with love as she gazed at him and it skipped a beat when she saw those heady emotions reflected in his eyes. They kissed with a passion she hadn't experienced in years, and any remaining worries she had just fell away. She was shocked at how unencumbered she felt... it was as if her mind was truly free of fear and doubt for the first time.

When they broke off the kiss, Theo brushed his fingers through her hair and held her close to his chest as she trembled with relief. She glanced over at Helene, and saw a tender smile on her lovely face.

"Thank you," Lucyna whispered, wrapping her arms around Theo's broad back and hugging him as tight as she could.

***

Dana left the Engineering Bay and strolled along the corridor, humming a happy tune to herself as she approached the grav-tube. Walking into the field of blue particles, she suddenly remembered the reason why she needed to speak to Tony, Kelli, and Perl, and her good mood evaporated. As she floated up in the gravity field, Dana worried how they were going to take the news.

After recruiting Alyssa as her gopher and spending the next several years working as the Diablos' gunsmith, she had led quite a reclusive life for most of her teenage years. Having had very little contact with people outside the base, the loss of everyone on Karron hadn't hit her nearly as hard as it could have... but she dreaded to think how the three survivors would react. Dana stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Four, debating with herself exactly how much detail she should use in describing the dreadful fate of Karron's colonists.

Faye popped into existence and greeted her with a supportive smile. "Hey, Dana. I told them you wanted to have a chat... they're all waiting for you." She turned and gestured towards the closest door then stepped aside.

"Thanks, Faye," Dana said softly, steeling herself for the painful conversation to come.

The purple sprite waved goodbye and disappeared again, leaving her alone in the corridor.

Approaching the door, she knocked on it with her knuckles. "Hey, it's Sparks."

"Come in!" a muffled female voice replied, the door opening a moment later.

Dana strolled into the quarters to find Kelli and Perl seated cross-legged on the bed, and Fat Tony leaning against the desk. "Long time, no see," she said with a friendly smile.

The three of them gaped at her, eyes wide in astonishment as the statuesque redhead glided gracefully across the room.

"Sparks?!" Kelli balked, staring at Dana incredulously. "No fucking way!"

Perl was lost for words and looked like she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Jeezus..." Tony muttered, too shocked to stop himself gawking at her spectacular figure. "What the fuck are they feedin' you here?!"

Dana couldn't help laughing at that. "Yeah, amazing what three square meals will do for a girl..."

Kelli and Perl slid off the bed and rushed over to get a closer look.

"You're like a foot taller than before!" Kelli gasped as she looked up at Dana, who towered over the petite brunette, standing 5'11" in her heeled boots, compared to Kelli's five-foot-even.

Perl couldn't tear her eyes off Dana's impressive gravity-defying bust. "And your tits are awesome!"

"You like?" Dana asked, posing for them playfully.

Kelli was awestruck by her curves, which she could appreciate even more after seeing a Lioness out of armour for the first time. "You've got the hottest body I've ever seen!"

"Your scar..." Tony said quietly, staring intently at her face. "It's totally gone."

Dana touched her cheek reflexively. "Yeah, life's been good to me since I left Karron."

Kelli brushed her fingers down Dana's bare arm, shaking her head in disbelief. "Your skin's as soft as a baby's," she marvelled, before looking up into those warm blue eyes. "What the hell happened to you, Sparks?"

The redhead nibbled at her full lower lip, unsure exactly how to reply. "Me and Alyssa... we work for the Lion now. I can't go into all the details, but basically, John recruited us both and fixed us up. He healed all our scars and injuries, and now we're beautiful, I guess... if I can say that without sounding totally vain."

Perl gazed at her in wonder and shook her head. "It's just the truth... you look stunning."

Dana gave her a bright smile. "Thank you. It took me a long time to get used to it; I'm sure you remember what I looked like before..."

Kelli shrugged. "You were always this cool edgy chick... the scar kind of worked for you. I didn't notice it after a while, not when you got excited and were telling me about all the crazy stuff you were building."

Dana looked at the petite brunette in surprise, but could see she was telling the truth. She'd always felt incredibly self-conscious about the hideous red scar that had disfigured one side of her face, so it was startling to hear someone be so blasé about the effect it had on her appearance.

Shaking it off, she turned to Tony. "Speaking of things I built..." Dana handed him the submachine gun she'd kept concealed behind her back. "I believe this is yours?"

Tony recognised the chrome weapon immediately, having been its proud owner for the last two years. Pleased to get it back, he reached for the gun, then suddenly froze as he remembered its chequered history. The Diablos might have given Sparks the materials for her gunsmithing, but they'd never paid her a single credit for the thousands of hours she'd spent labouring over their weapons. He knew she'd worked on that gun for weeks, not as a favour to him, but because she didn't have a choice. Pitbull's threats and intimidation had kept her cowed, while the gang raked in the credits from all the high-quality guns they were selling on the black market.

Guilt flashed across his face and he looked away, unable to look her in the eye. "I'm real sorry, Sparks," he said quietly. "I treated you like shit before... you never deserved that."

Not expecting an apology from him for one moment, Dana placed the SMG on the desk and studied him curiously. "I'm not going to argue with you there..."

He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet her inquisitive gaze. "Maybe I could pay you back to make things right? I'm broke for now, but I'll get a proper job, maybe send you some cash or somethin'..."

Before the redhead could reply, Kelli brightened and darted over to her backpack that lay crumpled on the desk. "We've got money!" She grabbed one of the cred-sticks and grinned as she thrust it into Dana's hand. "Me and Perl stole that from the Diablos stash! There's 5000 credits on there... they owed you that much at least!"

Dana graciously accepted the cred-stick, and idly turned it in her hand as she studied the big ganger. "I thought you said you were broke?"

"I-I wasn't bullshittin' you, honest!" he stammered, darting a frustrated frown at the brunette. "That's their money... not mine."

Perl stroked his arm and smiled, before looking at Dana. "We told him we looted Pitbull's vault, but Tony let us keep the cash."

"Is that right?" the redhead murmured, looking at Tony appraisingly.

He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable being the focus of her speculative stare. "Look... maybe I should go, let you three catch up without me here. I do wanna pay you back though... on top of the five grand. Kelli's right, the Diablos owed you a shitload more than that."

Tony moved for the door, but Dana sidestepped to block his path, her hand upraised. "Hang on a sec, there's something I need to talk to all of you about." Seeing his anxious gaze, she gave him an encouraging smile. "Please just sit down and listen. I'm not mad at you, I promise."

Kelli and Perl returned to their places on the bed, making room for Tony to sit beside them. The trio watched her nervously as Dana sat down on the covers, her expression troubled.

"Did we do something wrong?" Perl asked in a hushed voice.

Quickly shaking her head, Dana replied, "No, this isn't about any of you, it's about the rest of the people on Karron..."

The three survivors exchanged worried glances.

"The Kirrix shot everyone... dragged them away," Tony said, feeling a familiar surge of shame for abandoning his friends.

"I know," Dana said, her voice heavy with sadness. "We chased after the Kirrix fleet that attacked Karron and caught up with them this morning. I'm really sorry... but they're all gone."

Tony stared at her in horrified silence, the feelings of shame turning into a leaden weight in his chest. He had a flashback of Choppy Bob's look of terror, his blood-brother begging him for help.

Perl's eyes filled with tears and she murmured, "Everyone? Even the little kids?"

Dana didn't have the heart to tell her about their actual fate. "There was a battle... the Kirrix went crazy, attacking each other in a civil war. No one survived."

Lurching to his feet, Tony staggered past Dana as he went for the door.

"Tony, wait!" Kelli blurted out, sliding off the bed to chase after him.

He slapped his hand down on the button to open the door, then waved her away. "Stay here... I just wanna be alone for a bit," Tony croaked, stumbling into the corridor.

Dana caught the brunette's arm and refused to back down from her angry glare. "Leave him be, Kelli... at least for a little while."

No longer resisting, Kelli slumped back on the bed when Dana released her. Perl wrapped her arms around her friend, and after staring at the door for a long moment, Kelli hugged her back.

"Would you like me to leave you two alone?" the redhead asked, her voice filled with sympathy.

The blonde and brunette shared a look, then Perl quietly replied, "No, please don't go. We want you to stay."

Kelli studied the striking redhead for a long moment. "Did you lose anyone, Sparks?"

Dana hesitated, then shook her head. "No, not really. I was with the Diablos for years but it's not like we were pals or anything. Alyssa was my best friend, and after I helped her escape from Karron, she asked John to come back for me." She looked at the petite girls with sympathy. "How about you two?"

Kelli let out a heavy sigh. "A few of the whores at Madame Trixie's were kind to us... they never deserved to die. We hadn't seen them in years though, not since she sold us to Pitbull."

Perl brushed at her tear-filled eyes. "I just feel so bad about the kids..."

"Me too," Dana agreed, nodding her head despondently.

Giving her a tentative smile, Kelli asked, "Want a hug?"

"Yeah, I would actually," Dana replied, with a look of gratitude.

She opened her arms and the other two Karron survivors gladly embraced her. They stayed like that for several minutes, sharing that disconnected sense of grief for the acquaintances they'd known in the hollowed-out asteroid. It wasn't the same sharp loss as the death of a close friend, but they all felt a strange sense of emptiness, knowing that the place they'd grown up and they people they knew were lost forever.

When they eventually separated, Dana stroked their backs and asked, "What are you girls planning to do now? I mean... now that Karron is gone."

They exchanged a worried glance, then Kelli ruefully admitted, "Honestly, I've got no idea."

Perl sighed and nodded. "We only know how to be high-class whores. We might be awesome in bed, but it's not like we can do anything else except fuck a guy's brains out..."

"And we're giving that up... whoring I mean," Kelli explained, blushing a little. "Tony said we don't have to do that anymore."

Dana looked at them with interest. "Actually, those sound like pretty handy skills..."

The blonde looked at her in surprise. "What? You want to go to bed with us?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Dana quickly replied, although she was unable to keep her eyes from sweeping over their lovely slender figures.

"Are you sure?" Kelli asked with a knowing smile, having caught that furtive glance.

The redhead laughed and shrugged. "Alright, you're both sexy girls and I wouldn't say no... but I don't want to mess up your relationship with Tony." She handed the cred-stick back to Kelli and continued, "But I was actually wondering if you might be interested in giving me a few pointers?"

Kelli stared at the cred-stick in astonishment. "You want to pay us 5000 credits for lessons on how to fuck?!"

Dana leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "No, I was going to give that back to you anyway. If you two really know what you're talking about, I'll pay you to teach me whatever you can."

"You're crazy!" Perl exclaimed with a giggle.

Shaking her head, the redhead said, "I really love... my man... and I've made a ton of credits selling inventions; I can't think of a better way to spend it."

"It's John, isn't it?" Perl asked with an excited grin.

Dana blushed and gave her a tentative nod.

"Holy shit, Sparks!" Kelli gasped, her eyes twinkling in delight. "I can't believe you're actually screwing the Lion!"

Perl's sharp gaze darted to the sparkling sapphire adorning the redhead's ring finger. "Oh my fucking God! Look at that rock, Kel... she landed an Admiral!"

The two girls gaped at her in awe, as Dana waved her hands at them, a panicked expression on her face. "Hang on! That's meant to be a secret!"

"What's he like in bed?" Kelli asked in fascination. "I've never fucked a genuine hero before... that must be such a rush!"

Perl grinned at the flustered redhead. "You must already be a vixen in the bedroom, if you got him to pop the question!"

Dana groaned and rubbed at her face. "Oh crap! Look... you need to keep all this to yourselves..."

She wilted under their enthusiastic barrage of questions and didn't hear the door slide open behind her.

"Hello, ladies," Alyssa purred as she sashayed into the room. "I hope you don't mind me intruding on this fascinating conversation..."

Perl and Kelli froze, their questions dying on their lips as they darted fearful glances at the sultry blonde.

"Please don't be afraid," Alyssa said gently, a warm smile on her face. She reached the bed and tapped Dana on the shoulder. "Budge up, Sparks..."

The redhead slid over the covers to make room for her friend as Alyssa kicked off her shoes and sat on the bed, gracefully tucking her legs underneath her.

"We won't say anything to anyone," Kelli said in a hushed voice.

Alyssa nodded, looking pleased. "Good, because it's for your own safety that you keep this quiet. We've made quite a few enemies and if you were to start telling people what you know about the Lion and his Lionesses, it would paint a huge target on your backs."

Perl spotted the engagement ring on Alyssa's finger and her eyes widened when she noted the identical design.

With a coy smile, Alyssa held the ring up for the two Karron girls to inspect. "Yes, I'm engaged to John too."

Their fascination with the engagement ring overcame Kelli's and Perl's fear of the blonde and they leaned in to take a closer look.

"Look at the size of that diamond," Kelli whispered, shaking her head in admiration.

Perl nodded absent-mindedly, her focus on the intricate sculpting of the band. She suddenly sat up in shock, her eyes like saucers. "All of you?!"

Alyssa locked eyes with the petite blonde, a smile teasing her lips. "Very good... you're a smart girl."

"What?" Kelli asked in confusion.