Project - Prometheus Ch. 15

The Artucian who had come with them were still there, many of them taking the opportunity to explore the derelict wrecks. Vahltiem and the chiefs who sided with him were there as well, looking grumpy as usual, while casting covetous glances at the crates. A small phalanx of Sentries stood guard over the repository of information, not letting anyone near it. Inari stepped up to Alex as the group approached, saluting as she reached him.

"Sir! The report as promised!" she said, handing him a tablet.

"Thank you, Commander! Be at ease. We've all worked hard today," he told her with a smile. Beaming at this, Inari skipped over to Priya and gave her a tonsil knocking kiss. Pree responded in kind, kissing her lover back, her lips promising the Iranian woman many delicious things to come later.

Alex chuckled as he went over the report as everyone started boarding the ship. He was impressed with how many salvage loads that Commander Sunara was able to bring up today. She not only set a record, but had also recovered the Wraith drive, what remained of it anyways, along with one final concession, that required his sign off.

The request was to have the main storage and power cores, that kept Stanley functioning, to be transferred to the Perseus. Though the ship already had an AI aboard, a VI could prove to be useful and inject some much needed male banter on a ship crewed mostly by women. Alex pressed his thumbprint on the tablet and entered his personal code, authorizing the transfer.

"Sentries, collect the cores and stow them aboard the ship, carefully. I don't want Stanley damaged," Alex ordered. The mechanical guardians chimed in compliance and carefully moved the mechanisms that contained the VI and its power source. He glanced around at the Dead Snows and noted how much more different it looked.

Some of the icy spires, which had been the shards of ships hulls had been cut down, making flight in and out of the area easier. He glanced over at the Columbus, half of which was gone and grimaced at it. Though he was loath to disturb the resting places of the fallen, it had to take lesser priority than repairing the Perseus.

Though Alex had ordered that the remains of each being they found among the wreckage to be moved. He also ordered that each person's likeness be recorded and catalogued, so that whoever they were, they wouldn't be forgotten. The big man had plans to build a monument of some kind, to honor the fallen spacers. But that would have to wait until they had cleared the Dead Snows completely.

The Commodore heard the engines begin their power up phase and looked behind him. Seeing the last of the Sentries walking up the ramp, Alex joined them, heading up into the ship, as the ramp closed behind him. He settled into the restraint harness for him and his suit as the Hermes lifted off, leaving the graveyard of ships behind.

It took all of twenty, maybe thirty minutes before they reached the settlement of the Ahl'kanin clan. The Hermes landed on the outskirts of the village, staying well clear of anyone or anything. The ramp opened as they landed and the Artucian departed, bidding the crew of the Perseus good night. Vahltiem and his cronies left, albeit reluctantly and only after several Sentries left their posts, via Jaesa's control.

Inari kept the engines running, as they needed to get back to the Perseus. Once the last of the Artucian people had left, she closed the ramp and they were airborne once more.

"I swear, that Vahltiem guy is really getting on my nerves!" Korsa grated.

"Tell me about it! Even though he's supposed to be a good guy, I don't trust him. Call me crazy, but I get this weird feeling around him," Natalya agreed.

"Like he's one of those kinds who should really be a bad guy. The feeling is mutual, but we have no proof of that," Kasumi stated as she walked up to her friend.

"At least he knew well enough to not push us too far! Even though he's an ally, there's only so much disrespect that would be tolerated from allies," Alex went on. "The way he walks around and acts, it's almost like he thinks that he should be in charge and not Valessa."

"Other chiefs have had... difficulties... with him. He always tried to strongarm anyone he could, to make himself more powerful. But it would almost always end up in failure, as few would willingly deal with him. Though it is clear that he's worried about losing his position, given his hatred for Khraldar," Luminia interjected.

"I sure as hell hope that his mother... Zaelina?... keeps a sharp eye on that boy. I wouldn't put it past Vahltiem to try to do something to him," Alex stated.

"As despicable as Vahltiem may be acting, he cannot even risk it! He would be stripped of his position as chief and be sent on the Long Walk. He may be ambitious, but he is not stupid," Lumi replied.

"Desperate times often breed desperate measures. He may act in accordance with the law, but he will try to skirt it and find a way to what he wants. He almost did so today," Alex reminded the young woman.

"That he did! We should speak with my mother tomorrow, let her be aware of your suspicions," the Artucian woman stated as she paced.

"Better to be prepared for the worst, so any surprises are pleasant ones," Priya piped up.

"An excellent manner of thinking, Lieutenant!" Alex told her and she smiled at the praise while checking over the Sentries. The cold hadn't damaged their joints and they would need a hot oil bath to scrub their servos clean. Other than that, they were performing as hoped and expected, especially the newest ones, with their new upgrades.

"Jaesa, this is Commander Sunara, flying into Bay Seven. Open the doors please so we can call it a day," Inari said, into the comms.

"Bay seven doors opening Commander. Welcome home," Jaesa replied. Smiling, Inari glided into the hangar bay, setting the ship down gently as the doors shut behind them. The atmospheric pressure was restored moments before inari opened the ramp, allowing everyone passage out of the Hermes. The Sentries clanked on out, most of them heading straight back to their charging posts or to one of the localized oil baths.

Taal'ani directed and herded a small group of Sentries, that was carrying Stanley's power and data cores. She also had another small group collect and move the writings and collection of artifacts to the Archives. She went with the first group, to personally ensure that Stanley would be integrated with Perseus seamlessly. Alex was still going over the day's accomplishments on the datapad when he called Inari over for a moment.

"Commander, I am impressed with the amount of work that you got done today. I am glad to see that we can start crafting the Hephaestus frigate tomorrow! Well done!" he commended.

"Thank you, sir! Though, to be fair, we already had plenty of the material needed to do everything else. We just needed the cores and drives of the surrounding ships to make if capable of flying," she replied.

"Either way, outstanding work Commander! We'll bring the Darkstrider up first, once the Hepaestus is completed," he told her. Inari had no words and squeed happily as she leapt at the Commodore, wrapping him in a fierce hug. Alex hugged her back, knowing that getting your home back was a pretty big deal. He knew that he would likely feel something similar, when they got the Earth back.

"I apologize sir, I... I couldn't contain myself," Inari apologized as she smiled.

"It's quite all right commander! I may be your C.O., but I am a human being and being human is allowed," he chuckled. Some of their crew mates were chuckling or giggling at Inari and she threw them a dirty look, but they just carried on.

"Doctor, are you in need of additional samples, or do you have all you need for your tests?" Alex asked the big woman as they ambled towards the nearest monorail station.

"I have more than enough of what I need sir, so nothing more is required. I do recommend that you get yourself some rest though. You look like you've been pushing yourself a bit too hard lately," she told the man.

"Was planning on it! I will also inform you of any changes that happen the moment they arise," he told her.

"Very good, sir! I think we could all use some food and some rack time after the day we've had!" she replied.

"Agreed. I think there's still a good deal of leftovers that need eating from that feast. Can't afford to waste good now," he stated as they stopped by the armory.

Alex and the ladies shucked their armor, letting the machinery take it back for breakdown or repairs. They boarded the monorail soon after and arrived at the Command Deck. Everyone adjourned to the Officer's Mess to get some food, but Alex did not stay. He filled up a modest sized plate before heading to his quarters, citing that he needed some alone time. The ladies let him have it, as he was not only their commanding officer, but he'd gone through a lot in that day.

"You think he's going to be OK mama?" Natalya asked worriedly.

"He's a resilient young man Nats. He'll pull through. Alex just needs some time to process everything he's gone through today. How would you be, in his shoes?" Korsa asked.

"Point taken," Nats conceded.

"But I'm sure paying him a visit later would help him... 'clear his head'" Korsa stated while pumping her eyebrows.

"Your mother makes a convincing argument. But I think we should both go tonight. Lord knows that man needs some proper feminine attention," she agreed while stuffing her face full of chicken souvlaki.

"Mama!"

"What? It's obvious that you three are a triad now, so why the complaints?" Korsa asked.

"You keep calling him 'young man' and me, 'young lady.' We're not that young you know!" Natalya groused. "I'm going to be twenty-nine soon and he's just passed thirty-five!"

"To me, you will always be a young lady. Hell, I'm more than old enough to be your grandmother!" Korsa laughed.

"Pardon me for this doctor, but how old are you?" Luminia asked as she was working through a large Caesar salad.

"In human years, I would be approximately halfway past seventy-three years old," Korsa admitted.

"Damn! I hope I look as good as you do when I'm your age! Are Khontarans long lived? By human standards?" Kasumi asked.

"The average Khontaran lives anywhere between six-hundred and fifty to seven hundred years. Our life spans are among the longest in the galaxy," Korsa replied nonchalantly. Kas' jaw hit the ground upon hearing this, amazed that a race could live for so long!

"If I could live for that long, you know I'd be doing a lot of things around the galaxy! Lots of things to do and see!" Pree stated, having no idea just how old Kors really was.

"That was one of the reasons I left Khontara twenty years ago, but not one of the reasons I told my family about. Especially my mom," Korsa snickered. The ladies joined her in that, a couple of them knowing exactly what she meant.

"Well, I'm done for the night. Shazza, are you done?" Korsa asked as she pushed away a third plate of leftovers. Shazza nodded while she was munching on an apple, which was one of many that the woman had brought up from hydroponics.

"Mind giving me a hand in looking over the results? I could use fresh set of eyes on it," she asked.

"Of course, doctor," Shazza replied as she finished her fruit and stood up to join the woman. They both left, heading for the hospital wing, leaving the other women behind.

"So Nats, when do you think we should pay our man a visit?" Kasumi asked her friend and lover.

"Let's go and get cleaned up. I don't want to walk in on the man smelling like I rolled out of a dumpster," Natalya said after sniffing her armpit.

"Touche!!"

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

Korsa and Shazza were having an animated discussion as the rode the monorail cart down to the hospital wing.

"Are you sure there's nothing more you can remember?" Korsa pressed.

"That's all I can bring forward right now. Unless you would like me to try out that idea I had earlier?" Shazza offered.

"Shazza, we discussed this. Your mind is still in a fragile state right now. We need to give it time to heal before we can do a deep dive like that," Korsa admonished her gently.

"I know. I just hate feeling useless like this, when the answers are right here!" Shazza growled in frustration.

"I understand that ximal kihuo(little one) really, I do. But you can help us by getting better first, then we can access the knowledge of your mind."

"It just feels like I have answers that I can give. But the moment I focus on the memory at the edge of my mind, it just disappears. Or it goes blank," Shazza stated.

"If that son of a bitch was in your mind, trying to control you, I wouldn't put it past him, or whoever was in your mind, to suppress those memories," Korsa guessed.

"Why suppress them?" the Xuul'khani woman wondered.

"To keep their secrets safe, in case this here, happened," Korsa surmised, as she gestured to the two of them. Shazza looked pensive for a moment before nodding in agreement. It did sound like something her people would do, to safeguard their secrets. They arrived at the hospital wing shortly after, the automated voice announcing their arrival.

"Come on. We have a lot of data to comb through and I want to get ourselves some decent levels of sleep tonight," Korsa told her ward. Sighing, Shazza stood up and followed the older woman into the hospital wing, hoping for both answers and a speedy analysis.

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

Alex was busy reading a novel that he'd picked up from his time spent on Earth. It was an old, leather bound version of the Odyssey, which he'd picked up from a garage sale. The old man who'd sold it to him knew just how valuable the book was but wasn't going to sell it to just anyone. When he'd met Alex and talked with him a little bit, he offered him the book.

Taken aback by the generous gift, Alex paid the man what he thought was a fair price for it. Though he initially refused, the old man had accepted it and told Alex that the book had always brought him good luck. He told the young man that he hoped that it would bring him the kind of luck that he'd enjoyed in his younger years. Alex smiled at the memory, thinking that in many ways, the book had brought him good luck.

He'd secured his position on the Perseus, after being one of the few selected out of thousands of applicants. He stood with his adoptive father when they made the voyage into space, each jump a journey of its own. Alex had survived the Xuul'khani attack on the Perseus and would stay alive for hundreds of years. Then he would be woken up by the crew of the Darkstrider, who had found and joined the crew.

He chuckled softly as he drew similarities between himself and the fabled Odysseus. Both of them had been set adrift in cruel twists of fate. They both encountered many strange and exotic places in their journeys. But the main thing that separated them, was that while Odysseus had done much over twenty years, Alex's journey was just beginning.

He picked up his cup of rosehip tea and sipped, the hot liquid doing much to keep his mind calm. Alex was still processing everything that had happened that day. The encounter with the elderly Artucian, his blackout, meeting these 'Violet Ladies', none of it made a lick of sense to him. He'd been spending the whole day trying to wrap his head around it, but saw no real way to understand what had happened.

So, in order to find a sense of normalcy, he dove into one of his favorite books and lost himself in it. Though E-readers were a big thing that had replaced traditional books, he loved the feel of genuine one in his hands. Alex couldn't explain it, but it felt... right, to have such an item in his hands. He heard a little chime that told him someone was at his door and had requested entry.

"Come in!" he called out.

"Hello sir," Kasumi responded as she walked in with Natalya.

"Needed some space?" Nats asked, indicating the door.

"Wouldn't you, if you'd gone through what I have today?" Alex asked his woman.

"I would. But now, I think you've had enough self-reflection time sir. It's past time that you got yourself some rest and relaxation," Natalya told him.

Before he could ask what she had in mind, she grabbed his head and kissed him thoroughly. Alex responded, kissing her back, allowing his passion for this woman to flare up. It was in that moment, he realized that he felt more than just a desire for this woman. He was falling in love in with her, head over heels and there was nothing he could do about it.

Nats then broke away from him, letting Kasumi take her place and she kissed him just as fiercely. The same feeling, yet different, rose within him, feeling that same love he had for Natalya. It was something he had not anticipated, but he welcomed it all the same! He had gone and fallen in love with not just one woman, but with two! As Kasumi pulled away, both women noticed the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Natalya asked.

"Nothing is wrong! Unless you count me being in love with both of you as wrong!" he confessed. Both women were dumbstruck at this declaration! Their mouths hung open in shock, but their chins quivered, and tears formed in their eyes.

"You love us both?" Nats asked quietly.

"Yes. I love you Natalya Vostrikov and I love you Kasumi McKenzie. You both make me feel like I am more than who I am. You challenge me, make me want to be better, want to do better! Because you both stand with me and believe in me, I know that anything is possible!" he told them.

Alex opened his mouth to continue, but both women tackled him to the bed behind him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He tried to get up but was flattened by their bodies atop of his. Their mouths sought his, their passions set to a full blaze, overtaking all rational thought. Both women spoke with their mouths, letting Alex know just how they felt about him.

"I love you too Alexander Tomisic! You make me feel like I can believe in love again, after a cruel galaxy has tried to break me!" Natalya told him breathlessly. "That there is someone that I know will be there for me, through whatever comes, good or bad!"

"I have loved you since the moment we met Alex! Though it took me a long time to admit it!" Kas said shyly. "After everything I suffered, I thought I could never feel alive again! I am glad that you have proven me wrong!"

"Kas, though this is different from what you had imagined, I know that I feel the same for you as I do Alex. Do you accept us, a man and woman who both love you?" Natalya confessed. Kasumi said nothing but sniffled happily as she leaned over and kissed her lover, confirming to them that she did love her back. She poured all of her passion and love into the kiss, and felt it reciprocated by the chocolate-skinned woman.

"How could I not love you, Natalya? You not only treat me as an equal, but as friend, even though we both vied for Alex's affections! I have never had that, ever! It may not have been what my mind pictured, but my heart tells me that this is right. That we, all three of us, are right!" Kasumi admitted tearfully, hugging both Nats and Alex close.

Natalya kissed her new love back, affirming and sealing their love for each other, in bonds that would not break. The women then turned back to Alex, each one kissing him in turn, as they slowly peeled their man's clothes off him. Alex did what he could to slide their clothes off, but needn't have fussed so much, as they wanted each other as they did him.

Soon, Alex was naked, but Kas and Nats retained their underwear, both women a matching thong and panty set. Kas' was an emerald green in color, while Natalya's was a shimmering, glistening white. Alex growled in approval at their choice of attire, smiling lustfully at the display of feminine flesh. Both women then knocked him to his back, grinning like fools.