Project - Prometheus Ch. 19

"Very well, Doctor. Take the Sergeant and anyone else who you think would help you best, up to the Perseus. I'll put in a call to Commander Sunara and have her come pick you up," Alex replied.

"Thank you, sir," Korsa replied. "Kas, Nats, you're with me. Load up whatever we need and let's get a move on!"

Both young women snapped to and obeyed the older woman's commands. They quickly had the cart packed up and Khraldar patched up properly. Once everything was stowed, and after they secured Shazza, they were off, crossing the bridge and disappearing from view. Once they were gone, Alex turned back to Zaelina and Khraldar and addressed the boy.

"So, how are you doing son?" he asked, seeing that Khraldar had more than a few bandages on him.

"I'll be all right. Some things still hurt, but I will be OK. Doctor Korsa said I hadn't hit any... arteries? So, a few days of bandages and I'll be fine," the young man replied.

"Your damn lucky that far worse didn't happen to you," Alex told him.

"I saw the spikes on the way down. Not something I want to do again," he said with a shiver.

"Maybe of you had stayed with me, instead of wandering off like that, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Zaelina berated. "You need to be more careful!"

"Mother, why must I always stay close? Why can I not do things for myself?" he shot back.

"Because it is my right as your mother to ensure that you are safe," she argued.

"She's got you there. It's her right as a mother to fuss over you, so don't complain when she does," Alex chuckled as he turned away.

"Did your mother make such a bother over you when you got hurt?" Khraldar asked. The question stopped Alex in his tracks, and he turned slightly to them before he answered.

"I wouldn't know. She died before I could make any memories of her," the big man responded, a single tear falling down his cheek. He then turned away and walked towards the rest of his crew, sighing as he went.

"What have I told you about watching what you say?" Zaelina sighed, exasperated.

"I... I didn't know," he said.

"I've told you repeatedly, think about what you say before you say it! You never know who you might offend! That's not what becoming a chief is about!" she grilled.

"Maybe, if you let me out and away from time to time, I might make better decisions on my own!" Khraldar shot back.

"Excuse me?!?"

"I can't become the chief I'm supposed to be, if you coddle me all the time mother! I need to do these things on my own, and I need to learn from my mistakes! Vahltiem is dead, and you always said that he was the greatest threat to us, despite the protection we have surrounded ourselves with. He's gone now and yes, I got a little hurt, but isn't that a fair price to pay for seeing him gone?" Khraldar fumed.

Zaelina was about to give her son the tongue lashing of his life, or she would have. At that very moment, Valessa and her consort, Sohlkris, had shown up out of nowhere.

"I know that we have the Sentries defending us but can you please keep it down? The goddess knows whatever else is down here," Valessa said, while shushing them both.

"I apologize, High Chieftaness. It's just that my son is having a difficult time seeing reason," Zaelina griped.

"I understand that, but you should keep your temper Zaelina. Sometimes, a kind word is what is needed over giving into anger," Valessa told her.

"But High Chieftaness, my son needs to know the importance of his position," Zaelina argued.

"I think today's encounter came with a powerful lesson. Did it not, young man?" Valessa asked, addressing Khraldar directly.

"Yes, High Chieftaness. It came with a valuable lesson," he answered.

"Which was?"

"Always be mindful of your surroundings, no matter where you may be. Enemies may lurk in places you least expect them," he answered.

"A wise answer. Zaelina, walk with me. I would speak to you about certain matters, now that the chief of your clan is no more," Valessa stated.

"Yes, High Chieftaness," Zaelina replied. "But should not my son attend as well?"

"Sohlkris will have a few words with him about what it means to be the son of a chief. He is the son of the last chief of the Sareetahl after all," Valessa told her.

Zaelina's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the name before nodding. Khraldar was confused, before his mother motioned that he should join the older man, who was waiting on him. Khraldar walked next to Sohlkris, who was heading towards the rest of the assembly.

"Being the son of a chief is difficult, and it's not something that you get to choose," Sohlkris informed him.

"I know. There are days that I wish I didn't have to be chief," Khraldar grumped.

"I know that feeling, far better than you realize," Sohlkris chuckled. "But there are certain... perks to being in such a position."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, there is never a shortage of female attention, which I can tell is something you care about," Sohlkris told him with a nudge.

"Maybe it's just the attention of one female that I want," Khraldar grumped.

"Oh? And who might that be?" Sohlkris wondered, before the answer hit him square in the face.

He wasn't trailing the Sentries by Shazza to get a better look at them! He was trying to get a better look at Shazza! Though he was curious about why he would want a Tsur'shak, Sohlkris had to admit that the boy had good taste. The woman was tall, had wide hips, thick and strong legs and a warrior's heart and spirit. Such women were around among the Artucian, but few of Shazza's caliber.

He thought for a moment about the tale that Khraldar had told them about Shazza. How she had taken on all four of Vahltiem's honor guard and beaten them handily. Seeing as the force of the blows that had felled them were strong and precise, he knew it to be true. He was glad that Shazza was on their side and returned to the conversation with Khraldar.

"You should be more wary though when in an unexplored area. Approaching women you wish to speak with is one thing, but be sure that you won't be accosted if that is what you want to do," Sohlkris told him with a knowing smile.

The two of them kept chatting while staying close to the Assembly and the Sentry-Bot escort. Sohlkris and Khraldar found they had much in common and were soon yammering like old friends. They likely would have done so all day, if the following transmission hadn't come through just then.

"Everyone, I've found a route to the Ark!" Luminia said excitedly over a holo transmission.

"Is the route secure?" Alex's voice asked over the channel.

"Yes! Sentries are standing guard right now and we have found no signs of anything or anyone here! Follow the signal to my location!" she enthused, before sending the co-ordinates. The moment she broadcast them, everyone double timed it to the location, finding the posted Sentries. After ducking into an icy tunnel, the expeditionary group came out on the other side and were amazed by what they saw.

"When you told us it was an Ark, Valessa, I never thought it would be this big!" Alex breathed, shocked at the gargantuan size of the ship in person.

"Nor did I!" she admitted.

The Artucian Ark was one massive ship! It was so large that it was easily the very size of the Perseus! Possibly even larger than that! Some of it was visible and accessible to them, while the rest of it was encased in the surrounding ice. The sheer size of it overawed everyone present, and they were a little overeager to get inside.

"Are there any access points in the ship itself?" Alex wondered out loud.

"I have performed a detailed analysis of the Ark's structure and found very few entry points that aren't sealed or locked. Though most such places of access lay buried under several feet of ice," Jaesa answered from one of the Sentries.

"There is a way in though, right?" Luminia asked.

"Yes, Ambassador. There appears to be a rupture in the hull, around where the ice is encroaching, just above your position," the AI informed them. Looking up, they saw the tear in the ship's hull, which was slowly being covered by the ice just above it. The rupture itself was just large enough to admit a small child, but nothing larger. Alex had a plan for that as he called out his next command.

"Sentries, climb up to that location, de-ice it, then widen the entry point enough for a Phalanx suit to get through," Alex commanded them. The Sentries chimed an accept prompt and went to work, melting and breaking away the ice, so they could get at the Ark's hull.

"How long before the entry point is large enough to admit us?" Alex asked Jaesa.

"At the current work rate, I'd say about fifteen minutes, sir. Twenty, tops, before it is ready," the AI replied.

"Very good. I guess all we can do now is wait then," he commented before walking back to where the chiefs and the honor guard were assembled. They started chattering, wondering what they could find inside and what secrets the Artucian would have once again. Taal'ani looked around, the light from the lamps and beacons the Sentries had been placing, illuminating the area.

"I'd say that whoever was piloting the Ark, knew what they were doing," she commented off-handedly.

"What makes you say that?" Luminia asked, as she walked up to the cat-girl.

"Take a look around. This used to be a beach, before the snows rolled in. The pilot, whoever they were landed the Ark in a body of water, rather than on dry land. On land, the whole thing would have been wrecked for sure, but by doing a water landing, close to land, so they could bring everyone off in one piece," Talon stated.

She then gestured to the illuminated area, which was covered in frozen grains of sand. It was also festooned with what appeared to be crustaceans of various types, some large enough to make a meal out of.

"Beach? What is a beach?" Luminia asked. Humoring the young woman, Talon brought up some images of beaches on holostills she had on her deck. Most of these were places she wanted to go, but a few were of her homeworld, Bastellian. The images she saw entranced Luminia, never having seen such natural beauty before.

"These are... beaches??" Lumi asked, awestruck. Some other Artucian had wandered over, taken by the beautiful images.

"Yup. Maybe one day, when the ice has melted enough, this place will look like some of these here," Taal'ani told her.

"What is all that... water?" one of the honor guard asked.

"That would be a lake or a sea," Taal'ani replied. Seeing their confused looks, she took a few moments to explain what a sea, and a lake was and what the difference was between them. The Artucian were even more interested in other things that could be done on the waters, such as fishing. An alternative, less risky way of finding meat appealed to them all.

"So, beneath all the ices here, there could be creatures that we could... fish for?" Luminia asked.

"Yeah, if what we're seeing here is any sign of what's further beneath the ice," Talon told her. Luminia was about to ask more questions, when a holocall interrupted her train of thought.

"The Sentries have finished de-icing and widening the rupture aboard the Ark," Alex called out.

This news was met with a load of enthusiasm from the Artucian, and everyone bounded towards the Ark. They all arrived within a minute and saw that the Sentries had been kind enough to carve steps into the ice, to allow everyone to walk up. The Perseus crew members, along with the Sentries, were the first to enter, keeping their weapons raised and ready to fire. Lights played along the ship's interior, and it appeared that nothing had taken up residence inside.

"Everything looks clear so far, but I want everyone to stay close and not go wandering off," Alex called out, looking in the Artucian's direction. Specifically, Zaelina and Khraldar, the former of which gave the boy a mild cuff upside the head. Khraldar groaned at this gesture, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

They all moved through the room, which looked like it was a lounge or observation deck. The door that led deeper into the ship was wide open, so the crew entered, walking into the corridor beyond. The corridor, like the lounge, was devoid of any power or light, so they had to rely on the flashlights built into their suits and the Sentries to see.

Most of the doors thus far, and the lifts were shut down and locked. But the doors to the stairwells weren't and were easily forced open. They traversed deeper into the ship, walking towards where they assumed the command center or bridge would be. So far, they found no indicators of where it could be and were taking educated guesses, based on the design of the ship.

It was remarkably like the design of the Perseus, but with different aesthetic flairs. That was only one of the many subtle differences they had spotted in the Ark. Others were how the corridors were shaped, the architecture of the doors and so on. It was almost as though this was an alien cousin to the Perseus, which made that much more eerie.

The group finally arrived at the main double doors to the command center, which could be seen via the gap in the almost closed doors.

"OK, I think we get through here, but I'll need help. Sentries, de-ice the buildup on the doors, but carefully. I don't want any circuit damage to the doors," Alex called out. The Sentry-Bots chimed an accept signal and got to work. It didn't take long, maybe all of five minutes before the ice was cleared. Alex then stepped up and ordered the machines to aid him in opening the doors.

They obeyed his command, and with a few experimental pulls, the doors gave way and slid open. Once everyone had unfettered access to the command center, they all flooded in, wondering at what they'd find. Alex shook his head, knowing that any knowledge the Artucian had from their past wasn't on any physical books or parchment. It was likely in the computer data core, which Taal'ani was plugging herself into.

"I don't understand. There should be knowledge here, but where is it?" Hahrdok asked, more than a little dismayed at their lack of finding anything.

"Taal'ani is busy trying to find it now, and the hope is that we will find something on this ship that is still intact," Alex explained.

The burly chief nodded and stepped away to let Talon work, while everyone else marveled at the things they saw. Most were taken by how the consoles and everything resembled what was found on other ships in the Dead Snows. They wondered how everything would be designed in such a similar fashion.

"Basic physics and electronics mainly. There are only so many designs any one race can create, before they find the most efficient method of making them. Once they find it, it usually is copied by other races at large and each one tries to innovate on said designs as they go," Taal'ani explained out loud.

"Any progress, Talon?" Alex wondered.

"Not much, sir. There is no power left in the ship, so if we want to access the data on the Ark. I discovered, though, that the data lines are intact, and that there is a way into the system," Taal'ani informed him.

"How did you discover that?" Lumi wondered.

"I pulled some power from my deck and fed it into the data streams I encountered while in cyberspace. They started lighting up and pulled more power from my deck. I had to cut off the feed before they drained it, but since it pulled power in, the system is still there. It just needs a hefty dose of power before we can get in," Talon explained.

"Well, that's something I suppose. I take it you'll get a start on those generators then?" Alex wondered.

"I'll put a call into Jaesa once we're clear of the Ark. Don't have much of a signal in here," the cat girl replied.

"Excellent!" Alex responded.

"Is there nothing more to be done here, Commodore?" Valessa asked, concerned about the state of the ship.

"No, high chieftaness. Without power, there is little more to be done aboard the Ark. Maybe map out what areas we can access, but aside from that, there is nothing else to do today," Alex responded.

"These... 'generators'... they will create the power that is needed to bring the Ark back to life?" she asked, while a couple other chiefs pressed in their faces hopeful.

"Yes. It shouldn't take too long. Warrant Officer, how long do you estimate before such generators are ready?" Alex asked, passing the question off to his sub-ordinate.

"I'll have Jaesa begin fabrications tonight and I'll run final tests and checks in the morning. So, midday tomorrow, before they are ready," the Fel'caan woman confirmed.

"I think after all the recent discoveries that have been made, I believe that we can all afford to wait one more day," Alex chided them. A couple of the chiefs looked a bit chagrined at the gentle rebuke, as they had let their enthusiasm get the better of them.

"So, what are we to do in the meantime? I mean, before it gets dark outside?" Khaltani wondered, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Map the surrounding areas, place beacons and heat lamps, that sort of thing. At least that way, you know what's here and how far anyone here can go," Alex suggested.

"Sound plan. I think getting to it now would be wise," Valessa agreed. With that, she dispatched everyone who was idle to assist the Sentries in those duties. She also had the aid with searching each area of the subterranean cavern. Without further ado or grumbling, everyone sprang into action, leaving behind the Ark and stepping outside to finish the day's work.

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Korsa, who was tending to Shazza, looked up and found that they'd arrived at the Ahl'kanin dome. With Kasumi piloting the cart, they wove their way around the people working as they headed for the passage up. Natalya had kept her weapon ready, in case there were any unpleasant surprises on the way there. Thankfully, there had been none, with the beacons and heat lamps lighting the way for the Artucian patrols they passed.

Looking down at the Xuul'khani woman, she saw that the poor girl had passed out. She likely had been that way for some time now. She sat there, looking over the wounds she had sustained and wondered how it was she was still alive. Korsa, after climbing down the chasm wall, had seen just how treacherous the way down was. She'd seen spikes large enough to make her worry about slipping and was trying to wrap her head around it.

How Shazza had survived was still a mystery, but it would have to be one she'd explore later. Korsa leaned over and after checking for a pulse, smiled to herself, happy that the woman was still alive. The cart had come up to the cave, and she saw that it was late afternoon on the surface. Some Artucian were still bustling around with taking their dwellings down, but there weren't many left.

They had certainly been industrious in taking everything down in such a short time. Even those who had been staunchly opposed to moving, eventually gave in and dismantled their old homes. With newer, cleaner and more comfortable homes beneath the ice, they were willing to make the tradeoff, since the dome would eventually see sunlight once again.

She smiled at them as Kasumi navigated the cart to the landing pad, getting them to their pickup point. Korsa then turned back to her friend and lover and sighed. Though she had been patched up, Shazza would still have some scars and mental trauma from the fall. Laying her hands on the woman, she growled in frustration, wishing that she could help her.

"Mama... what are you doing?!?" Natalya asked, her voice laced with awe.

"What are you talking about?" Korsa asked, before she looked down.

Her hands, which rested upon Shazza, were glowing with golden energy. Yelping like she was stung, Korsa snatched her hands away from Shazza. The glow then faded from her hands and after which, she leaned in to see if she'd done anything to the woman. Korsa looked at her and listened intently, and she was flabbergasted by what she saw and heard.