Chapter 36
"How goes it?" Lea asked Panthro as she stood in his office doorway some thirty minutes later. Cheetara was still there and the two thought they were really onto something.
"Pretty good. Turns out our Queen is pretty handy with ideas on ocular implants," the panther smiled at her.
"Oh, a hidden talent?" the lioness wondered.
"Hardly. I'd say something and he'd suddenly have a brilliant idea on how to do it," Cheetara chuckled.
"Well help is help," Lea smiled.
"Things go well with Mandora?" Panthro asked.
"As well as they could, I suppose. There's still a lot of work to do. I just swung by to say hi. I'm in need of speaking with Commander Tiberius. You wouldn't happen to know where he is hiding would you?" The lioness inquired.
"Lion-O would know. He's with Slythe outside. When you get a few minutes, can I borrow you?" The cheetah asked.
"Excellent, thanks and absolutely," Lea smiled and then ducked out. Cheetara gave Panthro a look.
"What?" He was pretty sure he knew what was coming next.
"When are you going to make an honest woman out of her?" The cheetah wore questioning look.
"I've been wanting to for a while. The opportunity hasn't presented itself yet. I don't want it to be rushed or just seeming like I asked her because we're about to jump into something headlong," the panther explained.
"You need a night off of Control Room duty, you let me know," she told him. He nodded and the two went back to work on the future of Timur's eyesight.
"What's going on?" Commander Tiberius was concerned. He had been located with Lion-O's help and Lea had asked if they could talk privately, regarding Mandora. The Commander had quickly agreed and the two headed back inside the Lair. Now in the small conference room, they settled in for a conversation.
"Mandora is in a predicament that I think only you can help me with," the lioness admitted.
"How can I help?" He wanted to know.
"She seems to have no identity outside of being an Evil Chaser. There's a leap she wants to make but it's that lack of identity that is preventing her," Lea explained.
"She's afraid they'll make her retire and then what will she do? You have to understand, someone like Mandora is a rarity," Tiberius said.
"I haven't known her long, but she does seem like an exceptional person," the lioness smiled.
"Yes, but that's not it. There are women in the Interplanetary Control Force, that's not what makes her rare. She was the first in her graduating class from the academy. She was ranked third in the entire force with her arrests and convictions. She volunteered for dangerous jobs. More than once she was offered a promotion and she turned it down, saying that she was more useful in the field than in the Commander's seat on a ship. Her image and career have been used in recruitment drives. Behind all of that, what isn't told is the huge personal sacrifice. While she was out on a mission, her father died of a heart attack. A few years later, her mother was killed in an accident. She found out about their deaths only after she'd completed her missions. The Force sent her home but because of her dedication and lack of family, she had to clean her parents' home by herself. Not wanting to seem weak, she buried her feelings. Its only with a select few does she share everything, people she explicitly trusts and knows her secrets will stay that way. I don't think she truly knows how beautiful and wonderful she really is. It's easy to take praise from people who have been praising you all of your career but to hear it from someone else, someone who means more to you than just a coworker, that's different," he explained.
"You're one of those people. You need to talk to her. If anyone asks, I know nothing about nothing," Lea couldn't help the big smile on her face. If the Commander wasn't in love with her, she didn't know what else to call it.
"Where is she?" Tiberius wanted to know.
"I made sure she got back to her quarters to rest. Since Wizz-Ra healed her we don't need to be worried about her rupturing the surgeons' work. She's still tired but that's to be expected given everything she's been through," she told him.
"I should probably wait then. She needs her rest," he said.
"She's waited long enough. Go to her," Lea said.
To Be Continued…