Project - Prometheus Ch. 13

"Jaesa, where is this ship located?" Kasumi asked, breaking the silence.

"That's the interesting thing Captain McKenzie. I found it at the very base of the Dead Snows! This ship, if the scans are correct, was the first one to arrive on Talemkha, well before the very first snows buried it and the ground surrounding it!' Jaesa enthused.

"The Ark..." Luminia breathed, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"The same Ark that brought the Artucian to Talemkha?" Korsa asked, eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes! That ship is the one that my people used to leave our original homeworld, escaping the Tsur'shak!" Lumi said breathlessly.

"We could use it to help supplement the Perseus in its repairs!" Kasumi said eagerly.

"No! This ship is the property of my people! It will remain their property!" Lumi stated with a note of anger in her voice.

"Luminia..." Kas began, before Alex cut her off.

"The Ambassador is correct on this matter Captain. The ship belongs to her people, but perhaps an arrangement can be worked out?" he said, looking at the alien woman.

"What kind of arrangement?"

"The Ark belongs to the Artucian people and will remain as such. But, considering how much superstructure is now available, maybe we could make a few changes to the agreement, before presenting it. I propose that a greater percentage of rarer materials be given to the Perseus, to help with additional ship construction. And, a sharing of information, should there be anything of note found aboard the Ark," Alex said.

"That sounds fair, but a proper accounting and assigning will only be done when we reach the Ark and determine what can be salvaged from it," Luminia said after thinking it over for a few minutes.

"I can agree to those terms. Ladies?" the Commodore queried. The proposal was met with unanimous approval, even Kas agreeing that it was more than fair. Hearing the consensus, both Luminia and Alex added that final tidbit into the treaty, before going over everything one last time. Lumi nodded over nearly everything, making a few final changes to the agreement, before giving it her seal of approval.

"Now that we have everything we need, let's head on down to the Hermes and bring what we have before the Assembly of Chiefs. They will want to hear and read over what we have written here. Everyone, take ten minutes and get cleaned up before heading on down. Dismissed," the Commodore stated.

With that, everyone dispersed back to their quarters to get ready. Though they all looked just fine, they needed to look resplendent when they went down. Mainly so their intention of an alliance with the Artucian would be met with dignified seriousness. Alex arrived at his quarters and stripped off his uniform and laid out a fresh one, before tossing his current one in the laundry chute.

"Jaesa, have you made any progress in de-icing the hard drive we recovered from the Columbus?" Alex called out as he walked into the bathroom, starting the shower.

After they had arrived from Talemkha with Luminia in tow, he had taken the hard drive to the electronics sector of the ship. Electronics was responsible for fabricating, maintaining and repairing all electronics on the Perseus. He had put the hard drive in a vapor chamber, so the ice would essentially, vaporize right off it. It was the best way to remove the ice that had accumulated on the drive, while keeping it intact.

"Yes sir. Vaporization is one hundred percent complete and I have just plugged into the hard drive to initiate download. I have already swept the drive for viruses or any other malware and have found nothing," Jaesa reported.

"Very good. You may proceed with the decryption of the files once you have full digital copies of them. Keep me informed of any significant progress you make concerning it," Alex said as he shut off the shower and dried off.

"Yes sir. You might want to hurry along, as half the crew are already on their way down to the Hermes sir," the AI told him.

"Thank you Jaesa. You have the ship. Keep it safe," he told her as he finished dressing, stomping into his boots.

He styled his hair quickly, working the hair wax in evenly. Satisfied with his look, Alex left his quarters and caught up with Natalya and Kasumi as they were making their way to the elevator. They both looked stunning in their uniforms, a fact that was made obvious by the stare he gave them. They smiled up at him as they rode the elevator down.

"Be careful with those looks sir, unless you want us to tear you out of that uniform and take you right here," Nats teased.

"Though I am a bit sore, I wouldn't object if you two did that," he fired right back, kissing her behind the ear. Nats squealed before rounding on him with a fiery look in her eyes.

"Priorities, Lt. Commander. I'll let you and the Captain here ravage me all you like, once we're back aboard," he told them both.

"Promise?" Nats asked while cocking an eyebrow.

"Only if you let the Captain and I ravage you in every which way possible, after you're done," he replied with a lusty smile. Kasumi looked over to Natalya, then back to Alex, then back again.

"And me after. I want to be pillaged!" Kas told her lovers.

"I think we can manage that," Nats replied, planting a kiss on Kas' collarbone, which left the redhead squawking. Alex copied his lover and planted another kiss on the opposite side of her collarbone, making the woman squeal and shiver. She then glared at Natalya for exposing such a sensitive spot to Alex. Nats just shrugged and blew the redhead a kiss. Kasumi would have had a few words for the woman, but the elevator dinged at their arrival.

"Punish her when we get back Captain. We both will," Alex stated as he cupped both their asses and squeezed gently. Both women peeped in surprise and fixed him with a stare which he didn't see as he walked away from them.

"We'll punish him first. Then it's your turn," Kas said with an evil glint in her eye.

"Agreed, Captain," Nats smiled back as they rushed to catch up to the Commodore.

They fell into step next to him and he smiled at both women. Alex believed himself to be a lucky man, having not one, but two women that he saw as girlfriends. If he was being truly honest with himself, he saw a future with both of them, together. It was something he was still coming to grips with believing. But the way both women looked at him, and at each other, gave him the hope to believe it.

The trio approached the hangar where the Hermes was waiting for them. The Sentries were just loading up the last of the food and other equipment that had been fabricated for the talks ahead. The rest of the crew were already aboard and waiting on the three lovers. They zipped along, stepping up the ramp into the ship.

"Is everyone aboard?" Alex called out.

"Yes sir! Preflight checks are finished and now we're just waiting on the Sentries to finish final loading," Inari's voice called out over the loudspeaker.

"Last crate is coming aboard now. Jaesa, if you wouldn't mind opening the bay doors?" Korsa called out as the last Sentry ambled up and locked into a standing lock mechanism.

"At once Lt. Commander! Atmospheric shields activated. Opening the hangar bay doors," the AI called out as the ramp of the Hermes raised up and locked up, sealing everyone inside. The whole crew heard the bay doors opening, as such a colossal portal couldn't move without being heard.

The engines powered up and everyone could feel it lift off the ground, as they all buckled in. The bay doors took less than a minute to open, as the Sentries had gone around enacting maintenance protocols throughout the ship. Natalya had made a few amendments to their programming and duties with some help from Talon. Now they would constantly run through the ship, preforming what Natalya called 'preventative maintenance.'

Moments later, the Hermes lurched out of the hangar and made a beeline for the planet below. Compensating for the additional gravitational forces, Inari made their re-entry smooth, and they broke into the noonday skies of Talemkha. They flew right over the Dead Snows, hoping that soon, much of the landscape itself would change. Inari took the Hermes in slow and steady, giving the Artucian people time to see them coming.

It didn't take long for the settlement to come into sight, despite the slow pace. The people moving around on the ground and the metallic glint from many of the homes were easy to spot. They were all milling around at the edge of the village, looking and pointing at the ship. A small lane had opened up in the crowd, admitting the chiefs and their honor guard.

Inari took the ship in, landing as gently as she could manage, but the thrusters still kicked up a substantial amount of snow. The Artucian took it all in stride, as they already knew how much of a snowy mess an arriving ship would make. The Hermes landed with a gentle thud; the engines powering down as it settled in place. The ramp unlocked and opened, letting the frosty atmosphere of Talemkha into the ship.

"Honor guard procession," Alex called out as he unbuckled himself from his seat.

The Sentries unlocked themselves from their restraints and snapped to attention, before carrying out their order. There were startled shouts from the Artucian, but no one made a move as the Sentries filed out. They marched in perfect synchronization, not one of them out of step. The robots moved quickly and with purpose, executing a parade routine that would have even the most stringent admiral, smile with pride.

The Sentries finished their routine, creating a large box area for the crew to step out into, lining both left and right sides. The chiefs and their honor guard were staring open-mouthed at the robots, standing on the other side of the empty area. Alex walked out first, followed by Kasumi, Natalya, Korsa, then the rest of the crew, each one of them resplendent in their uniforms.

The entire crowd oohed and aahed at the appearance of the Perseus crew, members of both sexes staring at them. Whispers abounded throughout the crowd, many people pointing fingers at Luminia. Valessa stared in shock at her daughter, who now looked as though she was the physical avatar of the mother goddess. She walked forward, almost like she was in a dream, staring at Lumi the whole time.

"Luminia?" she questioned.

"Yes mother. It is me and I have returned as promised," Lumi said as she walked forward, greeting her mother warmly. The rest of the crew hung back, allowing Lumi to have center stage.

"You look so... beautiful!" Valessa stated as she hugged her daughter.

Many of the Artucian men on the crowd and among the chiefs nodded in agreement. Some stares at Lumi were of serious interest, many of the chiefs now mentally wondering who would become her mate. The women parted as Valessa took better stock of her daughter, admiring how well she cleaned up. She especially admired both the robes that Lumi wore and the sword that now hung at her side, like it belonged there.

"It is father's sword still mother," Luminia told Valessa, starting her out of her introspections. "It has been reforged and given a proper name."

Lumi then pulled the blade out of its sheath and presented it to her mother. Valessa took the blade reverently, hefting and giving it a few practise swings. She found that the blade was perfectly balanced and now engraved with Artucian runes along its length. Valessa read them and her eyes teared up, before saying the name out loud for everyone to hear.

"Beastslayer. A fitting name, for the blade and the woman who killed that demon!" Valessa proclaimed.

A small cheer and a round of applause went through the crowd as people agreed with the High Chieftaness' assessment. Valessa returned the weapon to her daughter who sheathed it and curtsied to the crowd who still applauded. She then raised her hands for quiet and the clapping abated, everyone waiting for what she had to say.

"Artucian of Talemkha, I have returned as promised and I bring word of the changes that will happen for our people. No longer will we have to scrounge and scavenge to live for another day. Our new friends wish to become our allies and to help us not only survive here on Talemkha but thrive! They have much that they can teach us, and they have agreed to help us rebuild what was once lost!" Luminia told the crowd. This was met by a brief cheer before Lumi continued.

"These people, the crew of the Perseus, wish for us to enter into a formal alliance with them. They are called the Unified Systems Alliance and by the grace of their leader and commander, they have named me as the Ambassador for the Artucian people. As the ambassador, I will always ensure that the needs and wants of my people are met! This is what my station in this alliance grants me and I will never stop advocating for all Artucian!" Lumi proclaimed.

Many people nodded their assent, but some chiefs grumbled their disagreement on this. Many of them had ideas of who the formal representative, or ambassador, should be. They were quickly silenced by the look and slam of Valessa's staff, before the chieftaness turned back to her daughter.

"You, my daughter, are the best choice to be the... ambassador... of our people. I trust that you have spoken with the Captain and have come to an agreement concerning our people and the role they would play in this... Unified Systems Alliance?" Valessa asked.

"I have. Chieftaness Valessa, Assembly of Free Chiefs, may I present to you, Commodore Alexander Matthias Tomisic, of the Human Systems Alliance, and his crew," Luminia began as they all stepped forward.

"You are a... Commodore now?" Valessa asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Yes. A secret order was enacted, which had been put into place by those of higher rank than I, to ensure that the Alliance would have an Admiral guiding it. Think of a Commodore or Admiral rank as a... chief of chiefs. A Fleet Admiral being the highest of such ranks," Alex explained to Valessa and the Assembly.

"Ah! I see! That makes more sense now," Valessa said.

Introductions were made with each crew member by their new rank and job in the Alliance. People cried out in alarm when Shazza was introduced, some adults crying out that a Tsur'Shak (Light Eater) was among the crew. Some of the honor guard drew their weapons and moved in front of their chiefs, protecting them. Fearing this, Alex activated the amplifier that was hidden behind his collar and shouted a single word.

"SILENCE!"

The word boomed out with power, the speakers in each sentry and the Hermes having been activated at that moment. Everyone quickly quieted down, but many of the honor guard and some warriors in the crowd kept their weapons drawn. Shazza looked around fearfully, wondering if anyone would try to take her life.

Shazza had spoken at length with both Alex and Luminia about this before they had left. She had initially wanted to stay behind on the Perseus, but Alex refused her request. He had cited that keeping secrets from their new allies would only damage their credibility. How they needed to build trust with them and not hide anything, despite her people's history with the Artucian.

Luminia had backed Alex up on that, stating that it would be best of Shazza showed her face, rather than hide it. Shazza was afraid that there might be people who might want to hurt her, but both Alex and Lumi assured her it wouldn't have to come to that. That was another reason why the Sentries were brought along, for the extra layer of security and protection, if it was needed.

"Shazza, despite the history of her people and her own past, is not like the rest of the Tsur'Shak (Light Eaters) of your legends. She has earned our trust and if you do not trust my word, then trust the word of the one who freed her," Alex said loudly, catching everyone's attention.

"Korsa, if you please?" Alex asked the Khontaran woman.

Everyone then paid close attention, as it was now the war goddess who was telling the story. She spoke of how she went into Shazza's mind, hoping to find some good in the woman. Korsa told the tale in full, speaking of how Shazza was not in control of her actions. She omitted only the sordid parts but gave a full account of what she saw in her mind. Of the Dark Lord who controlled Shazza with 'dark magics', making her do things that no good person would.

As the story was told, more and more warriors put up their weapons, their fury being replaced by sorrow and pity. It horrified the women and children, that the Tsur'Shak would take the minds of those beneath them, only to make them into slaves. Even the honor guard put their weapons away, once they learned the extent of how Shazza was controlled.

Curious, Valessa walked forward and stood in front of Shazza, who looked the Artucian woman in the eye. Just because she had been freed didn't make her meek, and she had no intention of showing weakness today. Valessa walked around the woman, looking her over, before she took Shazza's chin in her hand, drawing her gaze.

"Since you have been freed, have you hurt anyone in any way?" Valessa asked her.

"No... High Chieftaness."

"Would you do as you had before, if given the opportunity?" Valessa continued.

"No, High Chieftaness," Shazza replied.

"Do you wish ill on the Artucian people?" Valessa queried.

"No, High Chieftaness. If my answers are not enough," Shazza said as she drew the service pistol from her belt. "Then take this weapon and end my existence."

Shazza placed the weapon in Valessa's open hand and pointed it at her own head. Valessa was surprised at this, as were all the assembled Artucian. She had seen these weapons in action and knew that all she had to do was pull the trigger to use it. The expectation of seeing this woman's brains staining the snow hung over her, as she could sense some of the crowd wanting her to do it. It would be so easy to end the life of this Tsur'Shak, but Valessa stayed her hand.

Valessa could tell that this young woman was tormented by the things she had done. She could see it in her eyes, that haunted look of someone who had done abominable things. Valessa could tell that she wanted to live, but also wanted to die, just so she could be free of the pain she had caused. There was also the look of horror that was on the faces of the crew who couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Valessa lowered her arm and returned the weapon to the young woman. Shazza looked both relieved and afraid, wondering what would happen next. She holstered the weapon before looking back to the chieftaness, searching for an explanation.

"Such an action, would not be given by someone who has no heart. You may be a Light Eater by blood, but you are not one of them. You have a good heart and a good soul and you are welcome here, among the fires of the Artucian people," Valessa declared to everyone present.

The people nodded and murmured, many of them convinced that Shazza was not like the rest of her people. Some few weren't as easily won over, as they were of the belief that a Light Eater couldn't change. These few kept their opinions to themselves though, not wishing to anger the war goddess or challenge the obedient Sentries.

"Thank you, High Chieftaness. We appreciate your vote of confidence in our crew member, truly. But, if I may, we should go to a place where we all may sit and discuss the terms of the alliance that we wish to offer you," Alex stated, as Shazza walked back to stand with Korsa. Agreeing with the newly promoted Commodore, Valessa called for the people to disperse.

"Where shall we set up? To begin these negotiations?" Alex asked as most people headed back about their daily business.

"In a place that is public, yet a place that no one will tread without permission," Valessa stated. "The place where Korsa saved our lives is such a place. Gaze of the Goddess is its name, for it is there, that the mother goddess sees all."