Project - Prometheus Ch. 11

"Well, from what Korsa was able to get from the preliminary scans was that the regeneration process didn't just heal my burns. It also went deeper and hit every injury I've ever had, resetting my body to a default healthy point. Can't say I don't like it!" Priya yammered as she bounced around, ready to hit the gym.

They'd both changed into workout gear that was the same as what Taal'ani had on when they walked into the room. They marched on in and saw the Fel'caan woman going through a set of barbell squats. A couple of little drones, like those the women had seen in the hospital wing, hovered by the tips of the weight. They looked a bit more solidly built than the cleaning drone and were likely designed for assisting solo workouts.

"Fancy meeting you here Talon!" Inari said by way of greeting.

"Hey girls! Just give me a moment!" she replied through gritted teeth as she finished her final rep. Placing the bar on the rack, Taal'ani stepped away from the squat rack and toweled off her sweating face. She dismissed the drones with a wave of her hand, and they obeyed the gesture, hovering nearby and out of the way.

"Come to get your workout on?" she asked the lovers.

"Yeah, but there is something I'm interested to know about. You were here before we were and I'm curious if you caught that little sex session those two lovebirds had. You look like you've been here a while, so tell me, did you see anything?" Inari asked, having put the pieces together instantly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Taal'ani said, feigning innocence.

"Don't play coy with me Talon. I've known you long enough to know when you're not telling me everything," the older woman demanded.

Taal'ani tried to keep it together but wilted under that stern gaze. Like a kid having her hand caught in the cookie jar, she sighed and admitted to having seen something. When the women pressed her for details, she gave them and couldn't help but giggle at the looks on their faces.

"The way you two are looking right, makes me think you want the man!" Taal'ani said.

"Maybe we do!" Pree while mulling some visuals in her head. Talon looked at both women with a stunned expression on her face. As far as she knew, these two were only into women. From the constant, and often loud moans that came from their cabin, that was what they would always want.

"What? Just because we enjoy and prefer each other's' company, doesn't mean that we don't like a good hard pounding every now and then," Inari told the Fel'caan woman.

Taal'ani's jaw fell open and comically so. Inari and Priya both snickered at this and Taal'ani started at their laughing. Closing her mouth, she went over to the leg press machine and loaded weight onto it, continuing her workout.

"You might want to have a word with Nats about that," she commented to the other two as they got prepped to workout.

"What makes you say that?" Inari wondered.

"She told me that she's claiming him for herself, but that she wouldn't be a greedy bitch about it," she told both women, repeating back what Natalya had told her.

"So, she was open to letting you join them?" Priya asked, her voice climbing an octave or two in excitement.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if Nats would extend that invitation to you. Like I said, you'll have to ask her about it. Considering that she's also sharing him with Kasumi, you'd probably have to ask her as well," Taal'ani explained.

"Well, let's talk this over when we're in the shower. No sense in working out while we're distracted," Inari said as she started some dumbbell presses. Nodding, the other two went to their workouts, focusing on making their muscles work. Though while they did this, naughty thoughts of other, less used muscles being put to work, came to mind. They enjoyed the delightful thoughts as they worked out, letting these sinful desires fuel their workouts.

******************************

Natalya was having a fun time showing both Shazza and Luminia the more common fruits and veg she knew about. Neither woman had ever eaten such things growing up, and they relished each item they tried. Lumi had been about before and was sampling her favorites, while trying the newer things. Shazza however, was looking at and enjoying everything with a childlike wonder.

Seeing the woman in this state over raw food, banished all doubts that she was deceiving anyone. Even Luminia had warmed up to the woman some, humorously pointing out she should avoid the lemon trees, unless she liked sour fruit. The way that she enjoyed and savored each bite was both refreshing and heartening to see. Whatever a Xuul'khani diet was, it obviously didn't include produce of any kind, given how much Shazza was living in the moment.

They were coming away from the beehives that were on board, as Nats wanted to see if there was any fresh honey available. They were in luck as there was an abundance of the sweet nectar. The bees aboard had grown wild and their hives had expanded drastically, but they hadn't gone too far.

Hopefully, as repairs to the ship continued, the steward and caretaker drones would be repaired and brought back online, which would help manage the wild growth that had occurred within the ship. Having tried raw honey for the first time in their lives, both Luminia and Shazza were eager to learn all about how the little insects produced it. Once they learned the how, an odd look twisted both their faces before they shrugged and continued on their way from the hives.

Natalya had found an old and disused basket that lay among the detritus of the Hydroponics deck. She had started to fill the basket with certain herbs and vegetables as they went along. She had seen that Alex could cook and loved the dishes that he'd made. This time, Nats wanted to show him she could as well and already had a menu working in her mind.

Natalya also directed both alien women to go and collect several varieties of berries and other fruits. They too had also found discarded baskets and were using them to hold everything they had picked. Their baskets were nearly full when the women asked what all of this was for. When Nats told them, their eyes widened as they smiled.

"We are going to help you with the cooking of this food?" Luminia asked.

"Of course you are! I can't very well cook a feast for the crew without help, now can I?" she playfully admonished.

"Natalya?"

"Yes, Shazza?" Nats replied.

"Would it be possible to... learn how to grow food?" the Xuul'khani woman asked.

"You want to learn how to do that?" Natalya asked quizzically.

"Yes! There is something... odd but... satisfying about knowing about how these plants and trees of yours grow. I would like to learn about how to make them grow as they do here, if I may?" Shazza asked almost pleadingly.

"Well, that decision is out of my hands. If you wish to learn about such things, then you will have to ask the captain about it, since he is the one who is in charge of the ship," Natalya told her.

"Then I will have to ask him, and hope he says yes," Shazza replied with a nod.

Now that they had everything they needed, they headed off to the local monorail station. They boarded and were off to the Command Deck and the kitchen in the Officer's Lounge. They arrived and disembarked, moving quickly, as it was late in the day and Nats wanted to get a good start on dinner.

"Ok girls, please sort out everything and let's get it all washed and prepped," she told the alien women. Natalya demonstrated with each item what she wanted done and how it was to be cut. Shazza took to this task like a fish to water, deftly slicing and preparing everything they had brought. Luminia was a bit clumsy with the knife and resorted to washing everything so Shazza could get it prepped.

Natalya went to the food dispensary and called up the various food items she'd need for the feast she was cooking. Chicken, shrimp, butter, salt, flour, etc., was brought up and out of cryo storage via the automated delivery system. Sorting everything out as she needed it, Nats got everything thawing quickly.

Both Shazza and Luminia proved to be adept helpers in the kitchen and between the three of them, they had dinner underway in no time. They lost themselves to the jive and the beat of cooking and prepping. Natalya directed her new friends, and they hopped to, carrying out every instruction to the letter.

Before long, everything was frying, simmering, baking and so on, filling the kitchen with delightful smells. Though they had a task ahead of them, Nats did allow some taste tests, to make sure that the food was tasting like it should. Satisfied that it was nearly ready, Natalya called out to Jaesa and the friendly AI popped up on a nearby holo-display.

"Yes, Chief?"

"Please inform the rest of the crew that dinner is to be served shortly and if anyone wants to eat, they had better get their asses here on the double," she told Jaesa.

"Understood Chief," the AI replied before vanishing to relay the message. With everything nearing readiness, Natalya then directed her helpers to start moving what was ready out to the table. Luminia darted outside to make sure that the cutlery was set up, along with the drinks.

Both Natalya and Shazza walked out with large platters of pilau, stewed chicken, biorscht, kanchpuri, kinkali and a whole host of other Russian and Trinidadian fare. The pies they had made were still baking and would be ready in about thirty minutes, so they finished the setup before they cleaned the pots and pans they had used. Maybe six or seven minutes after they had finished setting up the dinner table, is when everyone started arriving.

"Wow Nats! You really went all out!" Inari commented as she seated herself in between Pree and Talon.

"Well, both you and the captain have been doing most of the cooking around here, so I thought I'd do a little of my own," Natalya said offhandedly.

"And trying to impress your new boyfriend isn't one of the reasons you did this?" Priya teased.

"One of the reasons, but not the main one," she while blushing slightly.

As if right on cue, both Alex and Kasumi walked into the lounge with Korsa on their heels. They all took in the smells emanating from the food that lay in front of them before walking over to take their seats. A minute or so later, Nats, Shazza and Lumi joined them at the table, having cleaned up and more than ready to eat. Drinks were poured and everyone plated their food, eager to start. Alex then stood and raised his glass in a toast, and everyone followed his example, waiting for him to speak.

"The events of the last several days have been harrowing, joyful and enlightening. All because of the actions of a small crew of women, who have managed to find themselves in the right place, at the right time. Let us eat, drink and be merry tonight! To the crew of Darkstrider and the serendipitous events that have followed!" he called out, before taking a sip of his drink.

Everyone echoed his toast, smiling and happy to be there. At that moment, there was nowhere else that any of them would have rather been.

******************************

I know that this one ends on a lighter note than most of my chapters and I thought a little break was needed, especially after the amount of cliffhangers I've written so far. As always, I had fun writing this chapter and I do hope that everyone reading enjoys what I've put together so far.

This lull will keep on for now, as things keep going along the framework I have put together. But it won't stay that way for much longer, as there is a lot more to get out there and many more characters to introduce! Expect things to start taking a twist or two in the chapters to come and trust me when I say that these twists will be mind blowing!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!