Three Square Meals Ch. 100

"Of course, Sir," Gibbons replied, giving him a respectful salute while trying not to wince with the sharp pain that triggered from his ribs.

"Oh, you're hurt!" Rachel said with concern, stepping closer.

"It's nothing, ma'am," Gibbons mumbled. "My Commander's hurt much worse. You should take a look at her first."

The brunette glanced at the blonde and said, "In that case, you'd better take us to her."

Gibbons turned and started walking towards the battlements with the two Lionesses flanking him.

The blonde gave him a radiant smile and said, "Do you remember me, David? I was there with John on Port Medea."

"Yes, ma'am. Your name's Alyssa, isn't it?"

"That's right," she replied, before grinning and pointing at the brunette. "You actually helped us get to Rachel just in time to save her from one of those Kintark Royal Guards. We owe you a huge favour for that."

"It's alright, ma'am-"

"My name's Alyssa," the blonde insisted with a frown. "Calling me ma'am makes me sound like I'm fifty!"

"Sorry, Alyssa. I was just saying that neither of you owe me anything; John's saved my life three times already," he replied with a blush.

She winked at him playfully. "Maybe you should start being more careful then? Anyway, we've saved a shitload of people, so that's not a big deal. But someone helping us? We don't forget that."

"I definitely won't forget it," Rachel said softly, giving him a warm smile.

They strode up the ramp to the upper section of the battlements and Gibbons immediately forgot about dazzling smiles from beguiling Lionesses as he darted over to Wessex. "Commander, I've brought you someone to help. Rachel's a medic... she's going to take a look at your arm."

Wessex didn't look up and just nodded glumly. Gibbons turned back to look at his two young companions, his expression taut with worry. "I've given her first aid, applied a trauma kit, and given her some pain relief from the hypo-injectors in the pack. Sorry, I don't know the name of the drugs..."

The blonde and the brunette exchanged another glance, but this time they shared a knowing smile.

Rachel knelt down next to her patient, while Alyssa beckoned him over. "David, could you do me a favour while we take a look at your Commander?"

"Of course, ma'a-... Alyssa. What do you need?" he quickly replied.

"Could you find John for me please? Tell him that Faye will be arriving in five minutes... he'll know what that means," Alyssa said, looking at him with a serious expression on her lovely face.

Gibbons nodded. "I'll get that message to him immediately."

Alyssa gave him a playful salute, then smiled as he strode away towards the ramp. Turning around she squatted down beside the injured woman and studied her for a second. "Wow, Commander Madison Wessex, you're gorgeous! I can see why... well, never mind about that for now."

Wessex grimaced in irritation, stern words for these medics coming to her lips; she guessed they must be fresh out of the Academy by how youthful and chirpy they sounded. Maybe when they were a bit older, they'd see what it was like to have their dreams ruined... they wouldn't be so exuberant then. She looked up, then gaped at the beaming blonde in astonishment. "You're Alyssa!"

"Hello," Alyssa said with a wry smile, before jerking her thumb at her brunette companion. "This is Rachel. Your Sergeant Gibbons saved her life, so she's going to give you a new arm."

"W-what?" Wessex stammered, unable to believe her own ears.

"This won't hurt a bit," Rachel said quietly, her grey eyes starting to glow with a soft light. The misty aura rolled down her arms and spread out over the wounded woman's body. "It might feel a little odd though..."

Wessex gasped as she felt a strange tickling sensation through her body, her lips twitching into a smile as the soothing wave swept away all her pain.

"This'll just take a couple of minutes," Alyssa said nonchalantly, before looking at the brunette.

Rachel nodded, a slight frown of concentration on her face. "While I'm regenerating your arm, I'll give you a once over, Madison. If you've got any scars, previous injuries, diseases, or genetic abnormalities, I'll clear them up and make sure you're in tip-top shape."

Wessex darted a shocked look at each girl in turn. "You're not joking, are you? You can really do this!"

The brunette smiled at her. "Regrowing new body parts takes a significant amount of energy; far more than simply closing and healing wounds, so unfortunately I can't do this for everyone. Like Alyssa said earlier, we wanted to make an exception in your case to return a favour for a friend..."

"Thank you so much!" Wessex gushed, her eyes gleaming with renewed hope. She looked at her arm and was astounded to see that the horrible charring around the stump already looked healthy again, new flesh and bone knitting together to restore the lost limb. That sense of hope flared even brighter.

"Now, anything you fancy chatting about while we kill a few minutes?" Alyssa asked airily.

Wessex turned to look at the blonde, her eyes widening as she saw the radiant white light shining in Alyssa's eyes. Clearing her throat, she replied, "This isn't quite how I imagined doing this, but I wanted to ask what the process is for applying to join the Lionesses? Should I speak with Vice Admiral Blake? Or perhaps Commander Fernandez?"

Alyssa shook her head and replied, "I'm actually in charge of recruitment. I decide who gets to join the Lionesses... with John's final say of course."

"Really?!" Wessex gasped, thrilled that she'd stumbled on the exact person she needed to speak to.

The commander was about to blurt out her next question, when she froze and her heart sank. Rachel was regrowing a missing arm apparently just by using her mind, while Alyssa obviously had equally powerful supernatural abilities. Wessex wondered what she could possibly have to offer such an exceptional group of individuals, when she was just a normal Terran woman...

"What's the matter, Madison?" Alyssa asked gently. "You looked so happy for a moment, then it looked like the bottom fell out of your world."

Wessex let out a despondent sigh, and with nothing left to lose, simply told the truth. "I've always worked hard to be the best of the best and for years I thought the Sentinel Battalion was the ultimate combat unit I could strive for. Then I heard about the Lion and his Lionesses... this incredibly elite unit that pulled off miraculous victories against impossible odds. I wanted to join you so badly, but now I finally meet you both, it's obvious I'm just not good enough. I'm an ordinary woman; I haven't got the kind of incredible abilities that you both have."

The shining light faded from Alyssa's eyes, returning those cerulean orbs to their normal bright blue. She gave the forlorn woman a kind smile. "Can I let you in on a couple of little secrets, Madison?"

"Of course," Wessex replied, looking at her curiously. "I promise I'll keep whatever you tell me confidential."

"All our abilities are gifts from John," the blonde said, sharing another smile with Rachel. "I was just a scrawny orphaned waif when he found and rescued me... I might have started from very humble beginnings, but now I'm probably one of the most dangerous women in the galaxy. I can see you're in really excellent shape, so in many ways you're already better suited for this life than I was."

"So there is a chance!" Wessex blurted out, looking overjoyed. "You'd actually consider my application to join your unit?"

Alyssa was quiet for a moment, then replied, "Madison... we're not what you think we are. The Lionesses aren't some elite combat unit like the Sentinel Battalion."

"But I've watched you in action!" Wessex protested. "I've never seen anything like it! Just you, Rachel, and that third Lioness were packing more firepower than my entire company!"

"We're very good at killing bad guys, but we're not a military unit, not like that," Alyssa said softly. She gave the older woman a coy look. "All the Lionesses are actually John's lovers..."

"You're what?!" Madison blurted out, gaping at her in shock. "But I saw the Lion Defender medal... there's nine of you!"

Rachel winked at her. "We've got a very big bed on the Invictus!"

Alyssa nodded and said, "You're a very beautiful woman, Madison, but I'm afraid John wouldn't let you join us."

"He wouldn't?" Wessex asked, the rejection stinging far more than she'd expected.

"More than anything, John wants to retire from all this fighting and raise a big family," Alyssa quietly explained, then reached out to brush her armoured fingers across Madison's toned stomach. "You'd look incredible sexy with a big baby bump, but we're planning to retire in less than five months. John wouldn't let you join us because you love your military career... you aren't even thinking about settling down to have children just yet, are you?"

Wessex glanced down at Alyssa's hand caressing her tummy, then met the blonde's inquisitive gaze. As crazy as all this sounded, she knew the young woman was being completely truthful with her. "Honestly, no... I'm not saying I wouldn't like to have a family one day, but not for several years at least."

"And that's the only reason John would say 'no'," Alyssa said quietly. "He's a good man who loves and cares about all of us. He'd never want you to give up your career for something you're just not ready for."

Wessex laughed and shook her head. "This conversation isn't anything like the way I'd imagined it."

"As long as I'm not boring you," Alyssa said with a flirtatious grin. She tilted her head to one side and looked at Wessex with an appraising eye. "I really like you, Madison, but there's actually another reason that I wouldn't let you join us..."

"There is?" Wessex asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious again.

Alyssa nodded. "Mmm hmm... You're already involved with someone else. I'd never break a couple up, no matter how much of a sexy piece of ass you are."

"But I'm not seeing anybody!" Wessex protested, looking at the blonde in shock.

Moving to one side, Alyssa glanced over her shoulder and looked down off the battlements at Sergeant Gibbons, who was briskly walking in their direction. "Really?"

Wessex followed her line of sight then flushed when she saw who the blonde was looking at. "David?! But we aren't a couple!"

"He's a smitten kitten," Alyssa said with a fond smile.

Rachel nodded. "He broke three ribs in the fighting and he's in quite a lot of pain, but he refused to let me look at him until I treated you first. It's quite obvious... the man's head-over-heels in love with you..."

Wessex gaped at Sergeant Gibbons in shock, never having even suspected.

"Come on, it can't be that much of a surprise," Alyssa said with a wicked grin. "You've been meeting him for hours every day for weeks, pumping him for information about John, me, and how to join the Lionesses. You've also been showcasing your spectacular ass with those tight-fitting trousers you wear... the poor guy never had a chance!"

Wessex gaped at her in astonishment. "W-what...? H-how did you...?!" She gulped, then tried again, "How on Terra did you know that?"

"I'm a telepath, I read your mind," Alyssa said with a shrug. Her voice suddenly got more serious as she continued, "He saved your life today. He's a brave, loyal, good-looking guy, who's totally besotted with you. Why not give him a chance?"

Before the stunned woman could reply, Rachel squeezed her hand. "There... as good as new!"

Wessex lifted her right hand, turning it back and forth as she stared at her fingers, her eyes eventually sweeping along the rest of the recently regenerated limb. "I can't believe it... thank you so much!"

Leaning in, Rachel gave Wessex a tender kiss on her cheek, then whispered in her ear, "Don't thank me, thank David. He helped save my life on Port Medea, so this is my way of paying him back."

She pulled back just as Gibbons reached the battlements.

"I passed your message on to the Lion," the sergeant said, speaking to Alyssa.

"You're a sweetheart, thank you," the blonde replied with a grateful smile, rising from her squat. She elbowed Rachel and added, "Come on, gorgeous. Patch him up, then we need to make a move. Faye will be here in thirty seconds."

Gibbons turned his attention to Wessex as Alyssa clasped the woman's new hand and helped her to her feet. "Commander, your arm! That's impossible!" he exclaimed, eyes widening in utter disbelief.

Rachel walked up to him, her eyes already glowing. The shocked sergeant gasped in surprise as her healing aura enveloped him, rapidly mending the fractured bones in his chest.

"There you go, all better," she said with satisfaction. Rachel winked at him, a broad smile on her face. "Now we're even... but I expect an invite to the wedding!"

He looked at her in confusion, having no idea what she was referring to.

Alyssa glanced up at the Raptor as it swooped down out of the sky, retro-thrusters flaring with a fierce orange light as the gunship came to a stop. It hovered just above the courtyard, the loading ramp starting to lower as Dana waved at them through the cockpit window.

"There's our ride," the blonde said, turning to wave goodbye to Gibbons and Wessex.

Rachel waved too, then the two girls leapt from the battlements, activating flight mode on their Paragon suits and gliding across to the hovering gunship.

Wessex stepped closer to Gibbons, a soft smile lifting her full lips as she studied the look of awe on his face. "David..."

He turned around to look at her, his eyes widening when he saw how close she was. "Err... yes, Commander?"

"You can call me Madison," she said in a hushed, sultry voice. "I think you've earned it after saving my life and getting me my arm back... I had no idea you had such powerful friends."

"But I don-" He never got to finish the sentence as Wessex stepped forward and gave him a very tender kiss that left him reeling.

Alyssa and Rachel grinned at each other when they glanced back and saw the kiss, the pair exchanging a high-five as they entered the gunship.

"That was too easy!" Alyssa crowed in delight. "She's going to fuck his brains out!"

Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. "I think she sees him as a bit more than just a fuck-buddy..."

Tashana had headed up to the cockpit, but John was waiting for the two girls in the forward loading area. "Mission accomplished?"

"Healed up and paired off," Alyssa said with a smile of satisfaction.

He pulled them both in for a hug. "Well done, girls." After pausing for a moment, he added, "Have you heard where we're heading now?"

Alyssa nodded, her joy quickly evaporating. "Jade said that it looks like Tartarus is on Ganymede..."

Rachel shook her head in confusion. "That can't be right... I thought that moon was obliterated by the fleet after the Ganymede Incident?"

"The remains of the moon were quarantined after that. It's the perfect location for a hidden base," John said with grudging admiration.

*John! Weber's arriving at Ganymede... I can see the entrance to the base!* Jade exclaimed, sounding tense with worry.

*We're on our way! We'll be there in about ten minutes,* John said, glancing at Alyssa who held up all the fingers on both hands.

There was a moment's hesitation from the Nymph before she said, *I'm going in...*