Project - Prometheus Ch. 18

Without a word, Jaesa vanished and soon a map of the galaxy appeared. Their current position was marked, as was the approximate locations of the lost sister ships to the Perseus. Alex smiled, glad that they at least had narrowed their search vectors. With this knowledge, it would make things exponentially easier to recover the ships and their missing colonists. If any were still alive.

"Well, we know the fate of the Hercules, so that is one of the remaining seven accounted for," Kasumi stated.

"Yes, but I think we should not bother with going after the Achilles," Natalya replied.

"I'm in agreement with Nats. The Achilles is far too risky to go after," Korsa agreed.

"And why is that?" Alex asked, confused for a moment.

"This area here, from the Torean Expanse to the Segira Star cluster," Korsa pointed and outlined with her fingers, "is the border of the Xuul'khan empire."

"I see. So, the Achilles is..." Alex started.

"Lost? Sadly, it looks that way, sir," Natalya commented.

"What of the remaining five?" Kasumi wondered her voiced hopeful.

"Thankfully, the others have drifted into friendly or neutral space. Recovering them will be relatively easy, given that at least three of them are in sectors that few ships traverse," Korsa responded.

"Wild Space mama?" Natalya asked.

"It would appear so. The Bellerophon, the Orion, and the Theseus seem to have drifted more to the edge of the galaxy itself. We don't know their current fate, but we can only hope that what's left of them, is still intact," she stated.

"What of the Hippolyta and the Orpheus?" Alex asked.

"They seem to have drifted towards more populated sectors. But, as I keep abreast of galactic events, there has been no mention of any Prometheus class ship recovered," Korsa supplied.

"I see. At least we have some good leads on where to start. Once the Perseus is online, and the colonists settled, we can go around searching for and recovering these vessels. Hopefully, jumpstart and convince the other factions to join us in rebuilding the Alliance," Alex stated.

"With the smaller factions, I don't see them balking at it. Many of the independent worlds broke away because to them, the Federation or the Confederacy was asking too much of them. Provided that the terms are fair to the residents of those worlds, they'll be among the first to jump on board," Natalya replied.

Alex sat there, musing over everything he had just learned. Abandoning the Achilles was regrettable, and he wished that he could do something about it. Maybe he could, once the Alliance was a solid power again, and they made their bid to retake Earth. But that plan would have to wait, as he started to form one on how to recover the current vessels. He was going over various angles of attack when a holocall interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, Commander Sunara?"

"I don't mean to interrupt you sir, but the bridging vehicle and its payload, along with Hephaestus and the Hermes, are ready to fly. We only await your arrival, sir," she told him formally.

"Excellent Commander! We will be on our way down shortly. Have the engines ready and fired up for when we arrive," Alex responded.

"Aye aye, sir!" Inari chirped.

"Well ladies, it's time to get to work," Alex stated. Everyone present saluted, then started moving out.

"Luminia? Time to go!" Alex called out.

"Yes, sir!" Lumi said as she finished her holocall. She quickly joined the rest of the crew and the Commodore as they made their way down to the monorail station.

"Jaesa, you have the Perseus until our return," Alex told her.

"Yes, sir. I have also taken the opportunity to record the conversation you and the crew were having, so you may resume it later if you wish," she replied.

"Thank you Jaesa! I appreciate the foresight and will probably take you up on it," Alex told her as he walked off the bridge.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"

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Taal'ani was busy going over the final manuals for some of the oldest ciphers and systems she could find. She was glad that she'd thought of amassing a collection of such manuals, in case she ever needed it. Some systems she had cracked while she was the hacktivist known as the Talon of Justice, were old.

Normally, with such out-of-date systems, you had to know how to crack into them properly, or risk corrupting everything on it. Many hackers and hacktivists tried to go in with simple and often brute force tactics. Such brazen attacks often led to the loss of information that was essentially, unrecoverable.

Taal'ani had been one of those careful types, not letting pride or ego dictate how to launch a hack. It was because of such careful study and attention to detail that had earned her the clients she often landed. They wanted certain types of data extracted, with no one knowing that she was ever there and Taal'ani had always delivered.

Such days were behind her now and though she studied these manuals from time to time, it hadn't been as much as she should have. Talon was just going over the last brush up when she heard footsteps approaching. She snapped to her feet and expected to see Alex and the rest of the crew arriving. Only it was just Inari and Priya, chattering to themselves, snickering about something.

"What are you two giggling about?" she wondered.

"Oh, we're just discussing your new boyfriend. You've been awfully smiley lately and we're just curious about how he did that," Pree giggled.

"Seems that since you got yourself a taste of the boy, he's been on your mind a lot. A few days later and you still have stars in your eyes," Inari chuckled.

"Well, you two would have starry eyes too, if he could hammer you like a bent nail. Even though he came three times, he was still good for lots of playtime," Taal'ani shot back.

"Bullshit! No way a guy can blow his wad that many times and still be good to a woman!" Inari said.

"An Artucian man can stay hard like that for a while and not lose it. It's how they're built, apparently. Word is that the women are just as randy and, in most cases, have to be, if they want to keep their men. Getting pillaged as I had, is a regular occurrence for the women," Talon went on. Pree and Inari opened their mouths, but Taal'ani was ahead of them on that.

"If you two sluts still don't believe me, ask Luminia about it. Or any other Artucian woman. Fucking their men into submission is a thing for them, so don't just take my word for it," Taal'ani told them, before retreating into the Hermes.

"Better yet, why not try to seduce an Artucian man and see for yourselves? I'm sure that many of the men down there would be more than happy to accommodate your needs," Talon said over her shoulder.

Inari was curious, running over the idea in her head while Pree was laughing in disbelief. Priya looked over to Inari and her expression changed, wondering what Inari had in mind. Both women put their heads together and walked over to the Hephaestus, getting everything ready for liftoff. The engines powered up and were sufficiently warm when the rest of the crew walked in.

They had taken a stop by the armory, with even Luminia decked out in combat armor. Shazza had opted for a Hoplite chassis this time, while Natalya was in the Myrmidon, thinking she'd need the extra protection. Shazza had liked the myrmidon initially but wanted to test out a different chassis, to see what fit her combat style best.

The crew ambled over to the warmed up Hermes and walked into it. With everyone loaded up, and the bulkheads sealed, they were off to Talemkha. The Hephaestus was a few seconds behind them, dragging the heavier load of the bridging vehicle. Both ships had little trouble with re-entry into Talemkha.

They allowed the Hephaestus to go in first, landing by the Ahl'kanin settlement. Priya and Inari hopped out, moving quickly to get the vehicle unlatched from the ship. They had it half done by the time the Hermes had landed and when the crew walked over; it was free of the Hephaestus.

"Well done Commander! You and Lieutenant Patel may resume salvage ops for the rest of the day. We'll take it from here," Alex told the women.

"Yes, sir!" both women replied with a salute, before disappearing into the frigate. Seconds later, the ship powered up and was airborne, heading off to the Dead Snows.

"Lieutenant Commander Vostrikov, I assume you have familiarized yourself with driving this?" Alex asked his lover with a smile.

"Yes sir, I have," Nats replied, before walking up to the vehicle and turning it on.

There was enough room to accommodate everyone aboard it, so they all hopped on as they made their way down. They had widened the tunnel enough to allow the bridging vehicle and its payload to pass with little effort.

The Artucian who were still topside watched with awe as the giant machine rumbled on and down, leaving deep furrows and tracks in the ice. They arrived at the dome several minutes later, with the Assembly of Chiefs and several Sentries waiting for them in hover carts.

"Glad to see you have something for reaching the Ark," Valessa commented while trying not to be too star-struck by the impressive machine.

"We always have the correct tools and machines for the job at hand. If we don't, we build them so we can get the job done," Alex said with a smile.

"Indeed! Sentries and warriors have been patrolling the main tunnel and have seen no evidence of another Omega. For once, the legends were correct on something," Valessa sighed.

"Thankfully! Let's get a move on! We have a long day ahead!" Alex said as he gestured for Nats to move. The bridging vehicle and its bridge rumbled along out front, while the carts followed behind. It would be a slow march to get there, but once the bridge was up, things would speed up substantially. At least, that was Alex's hope, as they vanished into the murk of the tunnel.

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Inari and Priya were busy inspecting the rest of the Columbus. Many of the containers aboard the fallen ship had contained food and other perishable supplies, which had gone long past their expiration date. They let the Artucian have those items, as they were being converted into a mulch like fertilizer, which would help the growth of the seedlings in the dome.

There were a few other items of note and some value, that was set aside and brought up to the Perseus already. They were still going through a few crates and had found some vintage items, which would sell well, but there was an abundance of them. They would let the Artucian have a look at them and see if anyone wanted these items, as per their agreement.

The Sentry-Bots had been staying on top of their duties, having diced up the Columbus for the most part. Now, it was a matter of bundling up the material and readying it for transport. Inari and Pree were just finishing up with the current piece of the Columbus and latching it all to the Hephaestus.

"Hey Pree, what's up?" Inari asked, noting the sour look on her face.

"What do you think?" Priya groused, firing her lover a dirty look.

"Is this about what Talon was saying about Artucian dudes? Come on Pree, you know it's not like that!" Inari sighed.

"Is it? You looked awfully eager to try the idea out for yourself after Talon told you what they were capable of," Priya argued.

"Are you jealous?" Inari accused as she neared the woman.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous of guys who can keep their stiffies while..." a tonsil knocking kiss from Inari then silenced Pree. She first tried to resist, but quickly melted into Inari's arms, falling into the kiss and all it offered. Inari finally broke away from her lover, smiling at her.

"What makes you think I would want to give up what we have, over guys who can keep perpetual boners? Sure, I like a good stuffing here and there, but that doesn't mean that I'd give you up. Not now and not for anyone Pree. Ever," she said with a finality that made Priya grin.

"That being said, if we play with any of these guys, it will be on our terms and not theirs. As always, when we play, it is together, never apart. I'm sure you wouldn't mind getting stuffed while I lick you to a screaming orgasm," Inari said with a suggestive pump of her eyebrows.

Priya shivered at the implications of it, imagining the very encounter Inari had suggested. She then kissed her lover, her tongue seeking Inari's, giving her a full on tonsil knocker. Inari wrapped her arms around Pree, with her hands wandering southwards, squeezing Priya's ass cheeks when she found them.

"Promise you'll pillage me later?" Pree asked.

"Like you really have to ask?" Inari smiled before letting her lover go to get back to work.

Priya smiled, knowing that Inari only had her best interests at heart. Jealousy reared its ugly head from time to time, but that was due to some bad relationships Pree had endured. Despite them being years ago, they still left a bitter taste in her mouth. Thankfully, unlike everyone else who came before, Inari gave Priya no reason to not trust her.

Because of this, Priya was more inclined to go along with some of Inari's needs and wants. Sure, they weren't her thing exactly, but she found that she still had a need, want and desire for dick from time to time. Not as much Inari needed it, but still, it was there. Despite her proclivity for women, she still did find some men attractive. She smiled at her love and went back to work, thinking she'd found someone who she felt she could give her heart to.

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

The expedition was progressing along at a constant pace. Since they weren't going so fast, it allowed everyone present to see how the cave was shaped and everything within it. They had noted some metallic shards further out from where they encountered the Omega. Kasumi theorized that they must have been pieces of ships that must have been superheated from reentry and subsequently, buried in the ice.

The crew agreed with that assessment, the logic of it making sense. They soon arrived at where the Omega had fallen, with pieces of it being cut up as they went by. The group noted how there were a bunch of warriors and hunters standing guard over it, while near a dozen Artucian worked to fillet and skin the beast.

It was a little unsettling to watch, but since the Artucian were carnivores, they needed the meat. Besides, a beast that big would make for some fine leather, which would help keep the Artucian warm on Talemkha. Though it was unsavory to some of them, they understood the need for survival.

They passed by the carcass of the Omega and continued onwards. They soon arrived at a zone where the ground began to slope down. On top of which, they could see several ships through the ice, which awed the Artucian and Perseus crew alike. Some ships that they could see in the ice particularly enthralled Kasumi and Natalya.

"I have never seen ships of this make before," Natalya said, awed by what they saw.

"Never?" Kasumi queried.

"Nope! Some of these ships have familiar designs to them, but a lot of them, I have yet to identify!" Nats confirmed.

"There is a lot of the galaxy we have yet to map, right?" Kas wondered.

"That is correct. The Xuul'khan with their Black Crusade, while vicious, weren't interested in exploring unknown sectors of space," Natalya replied.

"That is because they were afraid," Shazza said, startling both women.

"Afraid? Never thought the Xuul'khan were afraid of anything," Nats said.

"Though my people are fearsome, there are certain things that even they fear. The unknown regions of space, which could harbor an ancient enemy, said to cause even the hardiest of warriors to fear as a child does," Shazza said.

"What was this ancient enemy?" Kasumi asked her interest and attention on their Xuul'khani crewmate.

"That is something I could not know. But I know, that the Princes, Princesses, Lords, and Ladies of my people feared it. It was something they called, the Devourer. Beyond that, I know little else," Shazza told them.

"So, even the monsters have boogeymen," Kas said, digesting what she was told.

"What is... 'boogeymen'?" Shazza wondered.

"Something used to frighten children into behaving as they should. A myth, but one that varies from culture to culture. A figure of supreme terror, who would visit the unjust and unruly and punish them in ways that would frighten them most," Natalya explained.

"Ah!" Shazza said, realizing and understanding the concept. They cut their chatter down to where it was nothing as the convoy arrived at the crevasse. The vehicle stopped fifty feet shy of the edge, holding the position on the ice.

"Sentries, begin de-icing protocol from bridge deployment," Alex called out.

The Sentry-Bots disembarked and carried out their orders, switching to their portable blow torches. The selected area was just ahead, and the Sentries got to work, melting the ice away. They deployed probes to light up the area, making it easier to see and work. It took them the better part of thirty minutes, but they cleared away the area required for the bridge.

Once the area was clear, Natalya slowly moved the bridging vehicle into position. Lining everything up with cleared, baked ground was a bit of a challenge, but one that the woman executed with no issues. The moment they lined it, she deployed the transport's mechanical arms to hoist and lower the folded bridge into place. Nats was careful, taking her time in lowering the sturdy structure into place.

The bridge hit the ground with a resounding thump and with that, Sentries, who had cleared the area, sprang into action. They immediately jumped to the bridge and started drilling the foundation bolts into the ground, giving the bridge some purchase. Once they anchored the bolts in, several Sentries took the large winches, built into the transport and secured them onto the bridge.

It was just before they did this, that Natalya anchored the transport into the ice and the ground below, knowing that she'd need to hold the bridge in place for the moment. With that done, half the Sentries then walked out the edge of the bridge over the chasm. From there, they activated built in jump packs and crossed over to the other side.

The moment they had done this, the other half hooked onto the bridge itself and rappelled down. They then began the process to melt the ice underneath the bridge, on the cliff face. As they cleared it away and rock came through, the machines brought down support struts, built into the bridge, to help steady it.

The moment they steadied it, with every support strut in place, they scrambled up and clambered onto the bridge. They then worked to remove the winch cables and placed them on the edge that would fold to the other side. Natalya then worked the crane that was built into the transport, to lift the folded half of the bridge up. It came up easily enough and Natalya kept the tension on the cables tight, so there was little sage on the bridge.

While they had been busy doing this, the Sentries on the other side of the crevasse, had been busy. They had melted away the ice, which, like the first side, was only one foot down before they hit solid ground. They also cleared away the cliff face, making room for the support struts on their side. They had finished this by the time their half of the bridge was descending to them.

Nats then moved as slowly as possible, allowing the Sentries ample time to form up and catch the structure. Once they had it, she loosened up the tension on the cabling, letting the Sentries bring it to the ground and anchor it. The moment it was there, the Sentry-Bots on her side walked across the bridge and disengaged the winch cabling. They then moved to the center where they locked it into the bridge.

The moment she got the green light for it, she increased tension on the bridge, raising it up enough for the automatic steel bolts to slam into place. She could feel them lock in, the reverberation making the bridging vehicle shake slightly. As that had finished, the Sentries on the bridge then moved and slid in the manual bolts, for extra reinforcement.