Project - Prometheus Ch. 06

"Jaesa," she called out, "is this...."

"Tengoku no ken. (Heaven's Fist) I had one of the sentries bring it here, once it was obvious that you were all headed planetside. You've never been without it since you boarded the Perseus and I knew that you'd want it going into battle," the AI said solemnly.

Kasumi reverently picked up the ancient Katana. It had belonged to her mother, who had inherited from her father and he his father and so on. It was a blade that had been wielded by generations of the Tanaka clan, going back to the times of the first emperor of Japan. It has always been wielded by her bloodlines and this time was no different.

She set the heirloom weapon above her left shoulder, opposite where she stowed her rifle and waited. Moments later, the nanonites appeared again, constructing a proper holder for the weapon and seconds later, she heard a ping in her suit, letting her know that the nanonites work was done.

"Yggdrasil," Alex said, with all the reverence that Kasumi felt for her ancestral weapon. He hefted the second weapon, which was a massive, bearded battle axe. The very metal was engraved with the rendition of a massive tree. Alex tested it, giving it a few experimental swings, before activating various catches on the exterior of his suit. Once they had popped out, he tucked his weapon back over his right shoulder, the catches automatically securing it in place.

Natalya then stepped up to the rack, her hands going over the various weapons that lay in front of her. With each hand, they grabbed the handle of each one, testing out how it felt. After going through about half the rack, she stopped at a pair of matching short swords. Pulling them from the rack, Nats tested the heft they had, swinging them both a few times. In several seconds, she had decided on these and grabbed them both, sliding back into their sheaths.

As Kasumi had done, Natalya stepped back into the equipping frame and let the nanonites do their work. Soon enough, the weapons were grafted to her suits hips. The blades stuck out some, but due to the swivel point at the attachment on her hips, she could deftly move them as she needed to.

"I don't need any of those," Talon scoffed. "Not when I have these," she stated, raising her hands. In a heartbeat, two-inch-long claws popped out of her fingertips, each one wickedly curved. Before anyone could say anything, she passed by the weapons rack, dragging her claws across the frame. The sound of shrieking metal filled the room, causing everyone present to wince.

Just as quickly as it started, it had ended, silence filling the room again. Alex moved to the rack and saw the result, which was small metallic chips, hanging from the scratch marks that Taal'ani had left behind. Even though he was initially dubious at letting Talon participate in this fight, seeing that she did this, by barely scratching the weapons rack, left little doubt that the cat girl could handle herself in a fight.

"Very well Specialist Taal'ani. You are still our pilot, but should you find yourself boarded or downed.... tear them apart," Captain Tomisic ordered her.

"Understood, sir!" Talon said, saluting while grinning evilly. Alex then bent down to pick up the fruit that his lover had given him. He held it in massive titanium fist as he pressed at a small depression on his belt on the armor. A hidden compartment within his armor opened on his leg, where he promptly tucked his snacks away.

"Do we all have those?" Nats asked. In demonstration, Kas walked up to her pile of clothing, where the oranges she had taken for herself lay. She herself also pressed at the same depression at her belt. Like Alex's suit, a hidden compartment popped open at her hip, in which she deposited the fruit.

Deciding to give it a shot and pressed on her suit like her crew mates did. Indeed, a storage compartment did appear. It was much smaller than Alex's or Kasumi's, because of the size of her armor frame. She wouldn't be able to fit them all in, until she saw Talon eyeing the oranges hungrily. Sighing, Nats couldn't help but smile as she tossed two of the fruit that wouldn't fit, to her friend.

Taal'ani caught them both deftly, grinning happily. Having no real place to stow them, she snacked on them, as Alex led the women out of the armory and back down the corridor. They went straight to one of the lifts that stood right by the main hangar bay. After they all stood on it, a holographic interface popped up, with a simple application; to either go up or down.

Pressing on the down button, Alex primed himself as the team descended to the hangar floor. They dropped at a rapid pace, startling Nats and Talon. Within several seconds, the lift had slowed, before coming to a complete stop. The wall right in front of them then opened, the height of the opening which was nearly ten feet, fed into the cavernous main hangar.

The entire hangar was still littered with various debris and random parts from different ships. The sheer size of the space was large enough to accommodate several cruisers and possibly a dreadnought, with some room to spare. The Hermes class dropship stood out proudly, having only finished assembly mere hours ago.

It had a singular cockpit which was fully sealed from any exterior entry point. Two large engines were grafted to the main fuselage, but placed high enough to allow even Alex in his Phalanx armor to pass underneath it. A pair of large wings jutted out from the topmost section of either engine, filling out the largish ship. It complemented by a pair of tail fins that stuck out of the engine housing, located just in front of the main exhaust ports.

Just past the nose of the ship, sat a pair of repeater cannons. The laser-based weaponry was similar in design to an old Earth Gatling gun, but each barrel fired a high intensity laser bolt. On the underside, was a stabilizer which helped steady the weapon so its aim was true. Built into the stabilizer was also a cooling unit which helped to control the rate at which the barrel cooled, so it could fire again, without warping.

Despite its ship classification, it was a large ship, slightly larger than the Darkstrider in size. It also had several open doors on either side of the fuselage, wide enough to allow the women to enter the ship. Alex ambled around to the rear of the ship, following his own pathway onto the drop ship.

"Sir, where are you going?" Natalya asked her lover over the internal suit comlink.

"To the rear of the ship Nats. There's a large loading ramp there, which is designed to accommodate larger armor chassis'. Get aboard, there's no time to waste," Captain Tomisic stated as she heard the groan of metal, as he stepped into the transport.

Hearing the explanation, Nats jumped into the waiting ship, the last one on it. The interior was an open deck, with at least a dozen seats lining each wall. The center was bare, which allowed a great deal of movement for the lot of them. Natalya could scarcely believe that this was a mere dropship. Going by her math, it could hold at least fifty heavily armored and armed marines! Alex was already standing in the center of the deck, with a holo of the terrain being displayed from an emitter he held.

The doors on both sides of the ship slammed shut as Nats made her way to where Alex and Kas were standing. A loud hiss sounded, as each door sealed itself to the bulkhead, allowing no air to escape. Natalya cast a glace up to the cockpit area, which was just as open and spacious as the Darkstrider, allowing Talon a lot of room to move about the cockpit.

Taal'ani was already in the pilot's seat, finishing up her preflight checks, just before she fired up the engines. All of those present could feel the thrum of power that coursed through the transport. Seconds later, there was a subtle shift of vertigo, as the ship lifted off. Another sound echoed through the ship, but the source of which was outside of it.

"I have opened the starboard hangar bay doors," Jaesa informed the crew, her voice coming in on the loudspeakers of the ship. "Good luck in the battle."

"Thank you Jaesa," Taal'ani said, as she guided the transport through the main doors, slipping through the containment field with relative ease. Once clear of the Perseus, the dropship then angled its way downward, heading for the ice-covered planet. Talon, only hoped that they would get there in time.

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Inari Sunara lay prone as she scanned the nearby area for the sound that had put the entire cadre of women on alert. Pree lay further back, already set up about fifty meters behind them. Korsa was concealed right next to Inari, crouching behind a large ice boulder, sword ready. Luminia sat behind Korsa, waiting for any signal of what to do next.

The sound came again, this time, much clearer. It was the sound of laughter, emanating from directly in front of them. Korsa made a signal to Luminia, indicating for her to be quiet, and for the rest of the women to be as well. Nodding, Lumi scurried back to the rest of the group, relaying the orders, as the others stood up and started to slowly move towards the sound.

It was barely a hundred meters in front of them, before they saw the signs of what they had found. Inari peeked out silently, trying to get a good look at what was there. Before them, just past a small icy outcropping, was a group of native men, standing by a large fire. There was another group, which was half female, on their knees in. Several of the male captives had bruises on their faces as did a couple of the females.

Half the captors, which they guessed as Yahk'shurt, were throwing a frightened woman between them. Each one of them had a knife which they were using to shred her clothing away. There was maybe a dozen of them and an equal number of captives. None looked like they were in serious condition, but they still needed tending.

Inari relayed a set of hand signals, indicating what she had seen. Korsa nodded, then bent her head to let Luminia, who had just returned to them, what was happening. Anger contorted her beautiful face until Korsa told her what they were going to do. With a self-satisfactory smile on her face, Lumi dashed back again, stopping for a moment to tell Priya of what the plan was.

Korsa and Inari readied themselves, the red-skinned woman breaking down her blade and Inari, cocking her assault rifle. They waited for the rest of the four eyed aliens to get into position, hoping they'd move quickly. The only thing they saw was shadows dancing around the late twilight sky, as they stood ready. About five minutes later, they heard a female's voice call out, in an angry and rebuking tone. Both women recognized it as Luminia's voice.

The signal having been given, both Inari and Korsa sprang into action. Inari gunned down two of the guards, while Korsa cut down four, before they even knew that they were there. The other six that had been tormenting the now naked woman, turned to face their new adversaries. They readied their weapons, only to be cut down instantly, by the charge of women who dashed into the firelight.

The whole attack was over in seconds, the Yahk'shurt men having no chance against surprise and such overwhelming numbers. The group on their knees looked bewildered, but grateful at the arrival of friendly faces. The appearance of the human woman and their Khontar compatriot, frightened them. All fears were put aside at a sequence of high-pitched chatter coming from Luminia.

At the sight of her, their eyes widened, shocked and happy to the daughter of the chieftaness alive and free. They spoke back to Luminia, chattering hurriedly themselves, the words having a visible effect on Lumi.

"What is it Luminia?" Korsa asked.

"There are other patrols in the area and they may be in similar.... problems. This group of Yahk'shurt, isn't only one out here. There are others, with orders to capture or kill the other outlying patrols," the alien woman said, worried for her people.

"If we can get those patrols either warned or saved, then we would be the ones with the element of surprise!" Inari exclaimed.

"A sound idea. Lumi, can this patrol get back into the settlement and warn the rest of your clan? If we can warn them of what is about to happen, then we stand a chance of coming out of this alive. If they can't get in, for whatever reason, have them stay out of sight on the edge of the settlement, as we will need their help to break the Yahk'shurt lines," Korsa asked.

"They will. I will tell them what the Yahk'shurt are going to do," Lumi nodded.

"Have at least two of them join us, so they can direct us to the other patrols. The more help we get, the better off we will be," Inari put in before Luminia turned back to the beaten warriors.

Luminia relayed the whole story and plan behind the Yahk'shurt attack. It didn't seem to surprise them, but Korsa could see that a fire now burned in their eyes. After responding to what the chieftaness' daughter told them, they picked up their weapons and marched westward.

As Inari requested, two of their number stayed behind. One of them was the female that the dead men had been tormenting. Oddly though, she didn't look or seem afraid, but she looked like she wanted to kick some ass. They both said something to Luminia, before trotting off in another direction, heading north.

"They say to follow them. They were to meet up with another patrol, some time ago. Let's hope that they're still there," Luminia said. She then chattered to the other assembled women, giving them their orders, before they fell into step with her. Pree, Inari and Korsa were only seconds behind them, catching the group quickly.

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Tuulshan, a veteran hunter of his people, ran as hard as he could through the night, as twilight had just faded away. His patrol group ran with him, keeping up as best they could. The entirety of his cadre were all well versed in the ways of combat and hunting. He hoped that it would be enough for them to get back into their settlement unnoticed.

He wasn't surprised, at how low the Yahk'shurt were stooping to gain supremacy over his clan. Though he couldn't imagine a future where he and his friends had to answer to those goons. He shuddered at the thought of how their women would fare under their rule, especially his daughters.

Shaking his head angrily, he focused on his objective, which was to get inside the perimeter of their home. They were nearly there, several ice formations marking the outlying area of where the sentries should be posted. He breathed in and nearly gagged on a foul taste in the air. He slowed down, allowing himself a moment to fully take in his surroundings. He raised his arm, signaling the group to a halt, which they did almost instantly.

He took in a deep breath of air and smelled what he had just tasted on the air; blood. His nostrils flaring, Tuulshan continued to sniff out the source of the stench. He crept forwards in a crouch, slowly looking about for any hidden threats. Spotting none, he moved past a cluster of icy stalagmites and found the source of the smell.

One of the guard sentries, of his own clan, lay in the snow, butchered where he lay. The purple blood flowed out of his body, from several cruel gashes in his head and chest, cooling rapidly in the snow. Judging from the wounds, he was taken by surprise, likely from behind, since he lay face down.

Heat emanated from the corpse, so the kill was still fresh. Using hand signals, Tuulshan ordered his group to fan out, and to keep a wary eye open for any threats. As one, the group proceeded forwards, looking for anything that was an indicator of the one who murdered the man at his post. Drawing closer to the homes, he saw that a good deal of warriors were assembling near the outermost houses of the settlement.

The group halted as they watched these men move from house to house. They were doing everything they could to remain hidden from anyone inside the settlement. Tuulshan cursed his luck as he could see that there was no way they were getting through them unseen. He had his group stay hidden and prayed to the gods that whatever plan that Luminia and her alien friends had come up with, would be able to save them.

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Korsa yanked her Thuun'tara blade out of the sternum of another Yahk'shurt warrior. This was the third such group they'd encountered, who'd been looking to ambush and kill any stray Ahl'kanin patrols they could find. Unlike the first group they'd encountered, they saved the patrol groups any hassles and had put down the Yahk'shurt in short order.

After a brief conversation with Luminia, each patrol agreed to gather up and head back to the settlement, ready to do battle. Already, that was four groups that were sent back, either in the settlement itself, or sitting by the edges, waiting for the order to attack. Already, twilight had faded, and it was full on night. They'd run out of time.

"Luminia, order the rest to get ready and prepare themselves for battle. We are out of time and we need to make our attack now," Korsa ordered.

Nodding, Lumi relayed the orders to the rest of her people. Every single woman stood ready, willing and able to go into battle. They knew that the cost of this would likely be their very lives, but better to die free, than live as slaves. The patrol they had saved fell into line, following Luminia's orders.

Korsa looked down at Inari, seeing that the human woman was ready with her own group of women warriors. There were maybe a dozen, but they were all armed with some basic firearms, which would be a game changer once they joined in the battle. She then walked up to the human woman, offering her, her hand. Inari looked up and saw Korsa there, arm outstretched. Inari stepped forward, clasping her arm with the Khontaran woman's.

"See you on the other side," Inari said.

"May the ancestors give us victory this night."

"Keep an eye on Pree for me, would you? Don't want her getting into any serious trouble," Inari said, a smirk on her face. Korsa, whose visor was currently transparent like Inari's, smiled back, before nodding.

Both women then split apart, leading their respective groups towards their battlegrounds. It wasn't long, maybe a minute before they had reached the northernmost edge of the settlement. The lights that twinkled below showed that the people down there were still oblivious to the battle that was about to happen.

Korsa then activated her suits external vocal amplifiers, preparing them for what she would do next. Once they were primed and ready, she took off her helmet and called Luminia to her side.

"Lumi, I don't know if the chiefs have been warned, but we need to warn them for certain and the rest of the people down there. Put my helmet on and speak the words as loud as you want. They will echo throughout the area and everyone will hear them," Korsa stated as she offered the alien woman her helmet.

Luminia took the proffered object with a sense of awe as her mind was still coming to grips with such an amazing piece of technology. As she fitted it over her head, she was overcome with a small sense of relief. Her mother would be warned and they would see each other again.

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Valessa had listened well to her advisors and was still leery of the path they had laid out for her. There was little that they could do to prevent giving the Yahk'shurt exactly what they wanted. Frustrated beyond belief, she really had no choice but to submit to what they wanted. Lest her daughter wind up killed or worse, a broodmare to one of Dahr'khash's sadistic sons.

She stood, having little patience for these sniveling weaklings and their fool brained political games. Her honor guard stood with her, all sixteen of them handpicked by her for their ferocity, tenacity and loyalty. They stepped outside, beginning the march to the center of the settlement, where she was to meet Dahr'khash.