Project - Prometheus Ch. 04

"Mind grabbing me a couple of blankets from my quarters before you turn in Cap? I have a feeling that it will be quite frosty in here tonight," the large woman said.

"As long as you stay in the bed for the night, I don't mind at all," Inari smiled before walking out of the Med-bay. She didn't have to go far, just down the corridor and left to the next room, which was squished between the med-bay and engineering. Pressing a button, the door to the Khontaran woman's cabin opened.

Stepping inside was almost like stepping into another world as it was furnished with various items that were clearly made by alien hands. There were several shelves, lined with both tablet readers and books, which were considered a rarity in this day and age. On another shelf was a set of old sculptures, Khontaran in origin, though their use and aesthetic was lost on the captain. Despite the mess that permeated the cabin, the room was artfully and tastefully decorated.

Making for the massive bed, which dominated about a third of the floor space, Inari pulled the blankets and sheets off, bundling them up in her arms. As she made to leave, a picture frame caught her eye. It was mid-sized and handmade, containing a single picture. The picture was of Korsa, surrounded by all the human and alien children she had adopted, before she joined the crew of the Darkstrider. It was taken in the clinic she owned on Andaari Station and everyone was smiling.

They all look so happy, the elder woman thought to herself as she looked at the picture. Korsa had her arms draped over everyone, half playful, half protective. A pang of sadness gripped the older woman as she remembered when Korsa told her that not everyone in the photo had survived. The incident which had put Korsa on the run for a while had sundered the family she had built there. After saving who she could, Korsa had taken measures, to ensure that those who had lived were safe now.

The things that were done to those kids, were monstrous. She often wondered how those in power could often get away with what they did, without paying the price that everyone else did. 'Damn Confederate playboys! We'll get those bastards, someday!' Inari thought to herself darkly as she made her way back to the med-bay.

Stepping in, she saw that Korsa had already begun to nod off. Moving as quietly as she could, Inari unfurled the blankets and settled them over her friend. Feeling the addition weight of the blankets, Korsa didn't say a word as her eyes were closed. She just smiled.

Smiling herself, Inari backed out of the med-bay and walked over to the cockpit. Checking the readouts of the Darkstrider's status, she was glad to see that most of the internal systems had remained intact after the crash. She cycled through the different systems until she found the climate control.

Once located, she cranked the heat levels another thirty-five percent, as it was already getting chilly in the ship. Hopefully, the additional heat would help them get through the storm.

Her breath still misting as she exhaled, Inari walked back into her cabin. Priya was sprawled out and asleep though shivering from cold air. As carefully as she dared, Inari moved the blankets out from underneath Pree and covered her. Shedding her own powersuit, Inari removed the armor plating, before stripping down to her thong and crawled in next to Priya.

Shuddering at the contact with the cold air, Inari rushed under the covers, eager to keep warm. Snuggling up next to Priya, she draped her arms over the smaller woman's form and slowly closed her eyes.

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Captain Tomisic rose from the captain's chair and started down the ramp towards the holograms, to see what the scanners had picked up about the planet and the Darkstrider's location. As he arrived at the relevant device, the door to the bridge opened, admitting both Taal'ani and Natalya.

Startled by their entry, Alex calmed down, reminding himself that they were allies and possibly, friends. Both women made a beeline for him, unspoken questions written across both of their faces. Before they could open their mouths to speak, he raised his hands, gesturing for them to not say anything.

"I've made contact with the Darkstrider. They crashed, but everyone aboard is alive. Including Gunnery Chief Patel," Alex stated.

Both women then let out large sighs, the relief on their faces evident. "Are they OK?" Natalya asked, clearly anxious for her crew mates.

"Chief Patel was a bit burned up as she was entering the planet's atmosphere when they scooped her up, but she's alive and recovering. Doctor Korsa was also injured, but according to Commander Sunara, they would classify it as little more than a scratch by the time it's healed," Alex continued.

Natalya then relaxed completely, her posture softening. Taal'ani pulled her friend in for a hug, both women grateful that their family was still alive. Looking at the captain softly, Talon then asked, "Do you know exactly how they crashed and where they crashed?"

Turning back to the hologram, Alex then called out, "Jaesa, have you triangulated the exact position of the Darkstrider's transmission?"

"Affirmative sir! The position should be coming up on your display now," Jaesa's haunting voice replied. On the holo right behind them, a fully rendered model of the planet below popped up, along with exact geo-positioning coordinates of the crashed ship.

"In response to your second question Miss Taal'ani," Alex went on, "After they pulled Chief Patel in, they couldn't break free of the planet's gravitational pull as they were too deep in. So they flew in, hoping to use its gravity to slingshot free, but wound up flying through an ice storm. Their engines were damaged, and it wasn't enough to keep them airborne."

"Can't we go down there and get them? There should be smaller ships aboard this one!" Natalya piped up, her anxiety apparent.

"There were, until the attack which crippled us happened. It took every ship we had just to fight off the Xuul'Khani fleet which engaged us," the young captain said.

Looking back at him, Nats seemed lost, unsure of herself. "So what do we do?" she asked, a slight quaver in her voice.

"That depends on you, Chief Engineer. The Perseus has power, but not nearly as much as he should. Many of the various couplers and conduits that power up the different sections of the ship were damaged, destroyed or have atrophied. Whether we have these areas restored to full capacity or not, is in your hands," Captain Tomisic spoke, while looking at her questioningly.

Taking a deep breath, Natalya centered herself. 'It's OK girl. You got this. Mama and the girls down there are depending on you.'
"Well, I've gone over everything that needs doing as far as engineering is concerned. I have a few other adjustments to make, to increase the power output of the Solaris reactor. After that, it's simply a repair job. Do we have the necessary materials to effect repairs?" Nats queried, her resolve renewed.

"We do, but not enough for the whole ship. Several zones can be restored, but they will have to be selected carefully, until we can gather more materials to craft more replacement parts. What is your assessment Chief Vostrikov?" Alex wondered.

"What is online currently?"

"Life support, navigation, cryo storage and sensors. Though that last one is still calibrating at the moment. Jaesa is working on it," the big man replied.

"Good. That makes it easy. Engines should be first, followed by the shipwright section. Since this section of space is not on any known star chart, weapons and shields can wait," Natalya said as she analyzed the hologram of the Perseus in front of her.

"I don't like being defenseless," Alex grumbled. "Though you make valid points. Since we are effectively in unknown space and cut off from the rest of the galaxy, we do have some time."

Nodding, Nats was about to go on, but then she yawned, tired from the whole ordeal. Grimacing, the large Croatian man barely suppressed a yawn himself, despite having just come out of cryo sleep.

Shaking his head, Alex tried to clear the cobwebs from his mind but found it increasingly difficult. "I think it's time that we all got a little rest. We won't get anything done right while we're all tired. Both of you ladies can select a vacant cabin on the officer's deck."

"Thank you sir," Taal'ani said as she too was fighting to stay awake.

"If you ladies will follow me then," Alex gestured as he got up. Leading the way, he took both women away from the bridge and towards the corridor that led to the officer's deck. As he was walking, he called out, "Jaesa, put me through to Commander McKenzie please."

"Aye sir, patching you in," came the AI's chirpy reply. "Go ahead, sir."

"Commander, secure the prisoner in the brig, then get yourself some rack time. Jaesa, the ship is yours for the moment. Wake me if anything significant changes aboard the ship," the big man commanded.

"Aye aye, sir!"

"Aye aye sir!" came Kasumi's response a heartbeat behind Jaesa's. The inter-ship comms switched off with an audible beep, just as the group came to the main door with led to the officer's deck.

Alex then pressed his palm on the scanner, opening the door. Walking through, he went straight for his old quarters, mentally deciding to move into the Captain's quarters later. Gesturing with his right arm, he spoke, "Any quarters will do, except for Commander McKenzie's and please, be wary of the personal effects in them. They belonged to my crewmates, who were also my friends."

"Aye sir!" both women chirped, seeing the serious expression on his face. Nodding curtly to them, he stepped inside his room, the door closing automatically behind him. Without ceremony or preamble, he shed his uniform, leaving it in a pile on the floor. Wearing nothing at all, he crawled into his long unused bed and drifted off to sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

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With Charlie squad surrounding her and one of the Sentries carrying the prisoner, Kas wasn't worried about the woman causing any trouble, should she wake. As she meandered through deck three-three-seven, she finally came upon the brig area. Placing her hand on the dusty console, the doors opened, admitting the group. As they walked in, the lights turned on. Reaching out, Kasumi placed her fingertips on an illuminated panel, and rotated her hand counter-clockwise, dimming the room.

Moving briskly, Kasumi went to one of the many vacant cells, and activated its power grid. With the cell functioning, she stepped back and issued her orders. "Place the xeno on the floor of the cell, then return to your charging points. The cell guards will maintain a vigil over our prisoner," the commander said, gesturing to the other mechanical constructs that were just coming online.

The one carrying the Xuul'khani woman, deposited her unceremoniously onto the cell floor. Registering the order, the Sentries filed out, their mechanical joints whirring audibly. After every sentry was through the door, the red-headed woman drew her shotgun and trained it on the alien.

"I should just end you right now. God knows that I have every right, with what did to my friends," Kasumi said to herself through gritted teeth. Through a herculean effort of will, the soldier relaxed her grip on her weapon and lowered it. Shaking her head, she breathed deeply, releasing her anger.

"Though this may be my one opportunity to put you down, I will adhere to the wishes of both my captain and my newfound crew. You will live, but merely long enough to be handed over for dissection and study. You will suffer, as the rest of the galaxy has suffered, for the crimes of your people," the curvy woman intoned.

In a heartbeat, Kasumi reached out and activated the cell's holding field. The field was translucent, with a yellowish tinge to it. Enough to see through but also visible enough to deter anyone from stepping through it. Kas also cranked up the field's defensive capability.

Though it was solid in the manner that no one could step through, the brig was also designed to deter anyone who tried to touch it. It would be quite a nasty shock for the prisoner if she tried to do anything to the field.

Chuckling darkly, Commander McKenzie walked towards the brig exit before calling out another command. "Guards, power up and maintain a watch over the prisoner."

As her form retreated into the main areas of the Perseus, the brig's robotic caretakers activated and sprang to life. Each one of them in the immediate area surrounding Shazza's cell stepped out of their wall mounts and took up guard positions. The only sound that was made in the brig was the Xuul'khani woman's breathing.

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The darkness was a welcome friend, as Shazza moved through the familiar room, the décor and people within it bringing a sense of welcoming to it. She saw the concubines of her Prince, languishing about on the plush couches and cushions that dotted his private quarters. His most favored ones, lay at his feet, gazing up at him in adoration. She however, was his most favored, as she walked freely about, carrying out his will in whatever he asked. She also saw her friend and acourtat, (love of her heart) Palesia, kneeling to his left.

As she ascended the dais, she looked upon him, his red skin and rugged handsome features standing out amongst the sea of women around him. His ebon hair complimented both his twisted, curling horns and his jagged tusks, making him look both feral and inviting, all at once.

His face, which was normally set in a sneer of lust, was instead etched with a look of barely contained rage. She knelt before him, head bowed in submission, before asking, "How may I serve you, my Prince?"

"You will no longer serve me, Vaishon!" (Traitor!) his deep bass voice rumbled angrily. Eyes snapping up, her face blossomed in horror as she pleaded with him.

"My lord?!? What have I done that you would call me such?"

"You failed your task!" he shouted as he stood from his dark throne. "You let these pathetic weaklings destroy us! Look what your failure has wrought!"

Shivering from fear, Shazza looked about to disprove her Prince, when everything was no longer as she had seen it. Everyone in the room was either dead or torn apart, floating in a weightless tomb. The bodies of the many women that had dotted the room were now frozen, little more than preserved corpses.

Tearing her gaze away, she looked back at her master, seeing that he too, looked as though he was dead. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she almost vomited at the twisted monster he had become. His hair was scorched from his head, what was left of it. Both head and torso had large chunks missing from it as though something had torn that part of him away from what he was now. He looked like the walking dead.

In his left hand, he held a chain which was attached to a choke collar, designed to pierce and slowly bleed those who wore it. She had seen him use this form of torture and punishment on those who failed him. Only this time, Palesia wore it. Her once lilac skin was now a pale gray, was flayed. The robes she wore barely concealed enough for her to retain any modesty and like their master, she looked as though she should be dead.

"You killed her! Why?!? She was always loyal to you master!" Shazza wailed.

"NO! YOU KILLED HER! YOUR WEAKNESS ALLOWED THOSE PITIFUL CREATURES TO DESTROY US!" he roared as he pulled on the chain. The force of it nearly snapped Palesia's neck as the spikes dug in, bleeding and choking her.

Shazza screamed as she reached out to help her friend, but her Prince struck her with a backhand, sending her reeling. She stopped when she hit the wall. Fighting to focus, her vision cleared for a moment, but then she blacked out from the strain.

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Shouting out as she jolted awake, Shazza scrambled to her feet, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She saw that she was in some sort of cell and remembered what had happened before she had found herself in that nightmare.

'I had woken from one of those tubes. The humans had chased me. I killed one of them.... but they caught me. They could have killed me. Why didn't they kill me??' This question repeated through her head as she walked about her cell, looking for anything she could use to get out.

Walking up to where the field was, she saw that it was in place but reached out to touch it. As Shazza's fingertips brushed the surface, a sharp electrical jolt arced out to sting her. Crying out in pain, she withdrew her hand in a flash. Cursing to herself, she should have known that these pink skinned beings wouldn't leave anything to chance.

As she was muttering, the Xuul'khani woman noticed that something outside the cell had moved. Still nursing her hand, she peered out into the dimly lit area. Hydraulics whirring, the automated Guards stepped into view, lights and weapons trained on her.

Unlike the armored, skeletal Sentries that permeated the ship, these robots were more box like in their design. The sturdy shape they were, would make them difficult to overcome, much less destroy. They also seemed to have a great deal of mobility, as both machines studied her, before turning back to their posts in the blink of an eye.

Blinking away the afterimage of the lights, Shazza looked about her cell. Seeing nothing defining about the smooth white walls, except for some contour lines, she turned back to stare out at the space beyond the containment field. Though she stared and strained to find something that could be of any use to her, it was well beyond her reach. Huffing in annoyance and defeat, she turned back to stare at the wall of her cell. That's when she saw the slowly blinking light that lit up a small area on the wall itself.

Warily, she reached out and pressed her fingers to the blinking light, then retracting them quickly. When nothing happened, she pressed her fingers on the lit area once more. A low hissing sound emanated from the wall, before a section of it folded downwards, stopping when it was parallel to the floor.

A bed? Well, at least these pink skins aren't barbaric in that way, Shazza mused to herself as she tested the mattress. It was soft enough and though the blanket was thin; it was much better than sitting out here in her armored suit. Pressing by her collarbone, the reader that was built into her suit identified her and came apart.

With a slight zipping sound, followed by a click, the front upper half of her suit came away, dropping into her hands. There was little sense in keeping it on since was already a prisoner. Might as well take in some comforts, while I still can, she thought, as she peeled her arms out of the suit and quickly shed it from the rest of her body.

Beneath, she wore only a dark red t-shirt and panties, which covered her modesty but left little to the imagination. Stretching, she popped a few joints and bones, before crawling under the blankets and into the bed. Fearfully, she closed her eyes, then drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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Breathing shakily, Inari took in another deep breath of crisp, cool air as she woke. Blinking her eyes open, she saw that Priya was still sleeping, bundled up in the blankets that kept the both of them warm. She shifted her weight away from Pree, trying not to wake her. Inari got to the edge of the bed before she heard a clanking outside of her quarters.

Sliding out of bed, she padded to the doorway before opening the door. In the bridge area, Korsa puttered about, tidying up the mess that their crash landing had wrought. Though Korsa's back was turned to her, she knew that the big woman could sense her.