Project - Prometheus Ch. 19

Shazza was breathing easier and the constant flow of blood that was staining the bandages had stopped. Korsa looked a little closer and saw that her color was healthier and that she appeared to be resting much easier. She looked at her hands, then Shazza, then back again, her face a mishmash of emotions.

"What did you do mama?" Nats asked again, more out of genuine curiosity this time.

"I just... wanted her to be well. Without pain and scars. To ease her suffering," Korsa admitted. "Shazza has gone through a great deal of pain in her life and I just... wanted her to not suffer this."

"Must have been a strong desire. I remember Shazza said that the key to unlocking our abilities and powers was strong emotion. That it was key to being able to use them," Kasumi interjected.

Natalya and Korsa shared a look, and it was one that they'd shared before. Though the whole idea was bad on so many levels, they owed it to themselves to try it out. More than that, they owed Shazza, who'd become closer to them than they could have imagined.

Nodding, Nats stepped up to the other side of Shazza, placed her hands on the woman, and closed her eyes, focusing. Korsa did the same thing, while emulating Natalya with her hand placement. Together, both women focused on making their friend and lover well again, wanting her to not suffer these injuries.

Almost immediately, their respective energies flowed around them, erupting beautifully. The green and gold auras flowed from both women into Shazza, the energies at first at odds with each other. After a moment, they melded together harmoniously, seeking nothing but the restoration of the woman beneath them.

Kasumi could do nothing but watch in awe, as a miracle transpired in front of her very eyes. She watched the blood from the wounds, which were soaking the bandages, stop flowing. She heard the cricking and cracking, as she witnessed the woman's arm slip back into place. A few more moments saw a healthy glow return to Shazza's face, before the energies around Natalya and Korsa winked out.

Both women fell forward, catching themselves on the cart before they fell onto Shazza. Breathing like they had just run a marathon, they looked down onto the Xuul'khani woman and saw that her eyes were twitching, before they snapped open. Shazza took in a deep breath, before sitting up rapidly, then lying back down, as though dizzy.

"Easy there Shazza. You're OK," Natalya soothed the woman.

"What happened? I was in a lot of pain, but then... I was not," she said, confused.

"That was because both Nats and I, we... helped you," Korsa told her.

"How?"

"We uh... tapped into our energies... accidentally and we... healed you," Natalya replied. Shazza looked at them both wide eyed before checking for her wounds.

"Stop that! It's my job to look after you, so you let me have a look," Korsa admonished her. Shazza would have argued, but saw little reason when Korsa gave her that look. She sat there and allowed Korsa to inspect her wounds.

"Amazing! Each wound and puncture is completely closed! Like it wasn't even there!" Korsa exclaimed. She looked down at her hands, then to Nats, who was looking at her too.

"Are you two all right? I'm surprised that you are standing upright, after such use of your energies," Shazza said.

"I am a little winded, but I'll be OK. I've endured worse during weapons training, but still, it took a lot out of me," Korsa admitted.

"Yeah, me too! Felt like an all day sesh at the gym!" Natalya stated.

"Using your power like this will tire you, until you become used to wielding it so," Shazza told them.

"Hunh. That's something we didn't know. Anything else come to mind?" Korsa asked, knowing that such nuggets of info were sparse because of Shazza's mental state.

"You will be hungry. Very hungry. Be sure to eat plenty over the next day or so," Shazza replied. "Korsa, can I get up? I feel better than when I just woke and should be OK to move about."

"No way young lady. You stay put until I've analyzed you fully. This is another learning opportunity that I want to jump at and don't want you walking around, mucking up the results," Korsa told her sternly.

Shazza sighed but agreed to not move from her place as they waited for their ride. Kasumi was still amazed by what she had watched Nats and Korsa do, and wondered if she could do that. She heard a familiar sound in the air and looked skyward. Sure enough, the Hermes was coming in, headed right for them.

"Ladies, I'm inbound to your position. I got the message it was urgent that I come pick you up and bring you back aboard the Perseus. How's Shazza doing?" Priya's voice came in over the comms.

"She's much better now, but we should still get back up to the Perseus poste haste. There are some things I will need to analyze when we get to the Hospital Wing," Korsa replied.

"Copy that. Should be there in thirty seconds," came the response.

Sure enough, in that timeframe, the Hermes had landed, lowering the rear hatch. Kas guided the cart aboard and once on, Pree lifted off, closing the hatch as they went. Korsa took the time to brief her on what had happened, which left East Indian woman goggle eyed with wonder. After hearing what Korsa had planned, she insisted on learning about what she'd learned, which Korsa promised to share.

Natalya, Shazza and Kasumi were also eager to learn about what had transpired. If they could replicate such things, then it would change much about their understanding of this new power. If emotion was the key to unlocking it, then what else could be unlocked? What else could be possible? These questions tumbled around in their heads as the ship headed for hangar bay seven aboard the Perseus.

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In the cavern in which the Ark was situated, the rest of the Perseus crew and the Artucian were just finishing up. With the final installation of the remaining heat lamps, the temperature had climbed in the cavern noticeably. It wasn't enough to melt the ice right away, but it would do so soon enough.

The Artucian were assessing the findings of all the ships that were there, as was the Perseus crew. Alex had consulted with Nats and Jaesa over the comms about everything that was there. They were curious about many of the ancient ships that had been lodged in the ice, especially those that were around the same age as the Ark. The conversation would have gone on, but Alex noted that someone was waiting for him.

"Khraldar? What is it my boy?" he asked gently, finishing his conversation with Natalya and Jaesa.

"I... wanted to apologize... Commodore sir," he stuttered.

"Apologize? For what?"

"For not being... entirely truthful about why... I was around the chasm. It... wasn't the Sentries I wanted to get a better look at. It was... Shazza," the boy admitted bashfully.

"Ah! So that's why you were on your own and wanting to get away from your mother then?" Alex asked with a smirk.

"Yes, Commodore sir," the boy admitted, his face turning a deep navy. "Following her... it almost got us both killed. I wanted... to apologize for nearly... getting one of your crew... killed."

"Apology accepted. It takes a proper leader, to admit to his mistakes. Even more so, to admit the truth of his actions," Alex told him.

"When it comes to crushing on women, that's fine, as you're a young man whose blood is running hot. Also, I must say, you do have good taste," Alex admitted, as he recently found himself fancying the Xuul'khani woman. He kept his mind on task though and spoke some more.

"But, as your mother has said and as you've learned, you must be aware of your surroundings. Be sure that there is no one who intends you harm, before doing whatever it is you are about to do," he told the boy.

"If it wasn't for Shazza's magic, we would both be dead," Khraldar admitted.

"Shazza's magic?"

"Yes. When we went over, Shazza somehow called her magic to protect us as we fell along the wall. It kept us safe long enough for her to slow us down. It started fading as we went down, but she finally grabbed something that held. Until Doctor Korsa could come down to get us," Khraldar replied.

Alex nodded pensively, Khraldar's confession having given him the answer to the boy's and Shazza's survival. Shazza tapping into her energy instinctively made sense, as she had been proficient in its use before she had boarded the Perseus. Though her memories of its use were fragmented, she still had some latent reflexes. Hopefully, the good doctor learned more in Shazza's treatment, as he listened to the boy's latest question.

"Commodore sir, might it be possible to learn how to fight?" he asked.

"Wouldn't any of the warriors teach you how to fight?" Alex wondered.

"They could, but I want to be a better fighter than the warriors here. I want to fight like Shazza does! Or even Korsa! I have seen them fight! They are like the War Goddess, in living flesh!" Khraldar enthused.

"Well, I would have to speak to either of them and see if they have the time to do so. They are both busy women, so we shall see," Alex chuckled. The boy nodded a little sullenly, but still had that glint of hope in his eyes. The big man couldn't help but laugh inwardly, remembering himself at that age. Alex double checked that everything was loaded up and once he saw that it was, he boarded a cart and they were off.

"Commodore Tomisic, are you there? Commodore, come in please," he heard over the intercom.

"I'm here, Lieutenant Commander. What's up?" he queried.

"Just wondering if you're finished for the day, sir. I've got another load that I'm bringing up before I come to collect you guys," Priya responded.

"Wasn't Commander Sunara working salvage ops today?" he wondered.

"She was but delegated it to me. She wanted to get a good start on dinner, which is beef and chicken shawarma, sir. Inari should be almost done with it," she stated.

"Ah! Well, for that, I can't be mad about. Her cooking skills are phenomenal! Can't wait to taste dinner!" he enthused.

"Well, if I know Inari, then you're in for a treat, sir! How long before I should expect you at the landing zone?" she asked.

"We should be arriving within the hour. We're a few Artucian light on our return trip, but I'm certain that the doctor has filled you in on that," he stated.

"That she has, sir. Permission to speak freely?" she asked.

"Granted."

"I'm glad that ill-mannered tub of guts got what he deserved. He always seemed sketchy and slippery, like a weasel. I'm happy the fucker and his cronies are gone!" Pree admitted. "Apologies if I have offended anyone with that line of thinking."

"Many people here are of the same mind down here, so you're good," he laughed.

"Good to know, sir. I'll drop this load off at the Perseus and be on my way down to pick you guys up ASAP. Over and out," Pree said before signing off.

Alex put away the holocomm and looked around at the people aboard the cart. A couple of them were looking at him with a smirk on his face, while others tried to look innocent. He knew that they'd eavesdropped and agreed with Pree's assessment of Vahltiem and his honor guard.

Though it was distasteful to do, Alex had to carry out the sentence. He didn't enjoy the act, but it was satisfying to bring a piece of shit of a living being to justice. He took comfort in that, and that only the guilty had died that day, rather than the innocent. In whatever games were played, battle and wars fought, there were always casualties. No matter how altruistic you tried to be, innocents always got caught in the crossfire.

Alex banished the grim thoughts and turned his attention to better things, brighter things. They had arrived at the Ahl'kanin dome and he was impressed at the rate of progression on the superstructure. The second quarter was complete, and half covered with the crystal sheets, while the third quarter was half done. He admired the work ethic of the Artucian and knew that they would soon recover the greatness they had once possessed.

The moment they pulled up to the dome, the Artucian disembarked. Alex and Taal'ani commandeered one cart, heading topside to wait for their ride. As they climbed up to the surface, Alex put a call in, seeing if Priya was on her way. She replied, telling them she was still unloading her cargo, but would be on her way down in five minutes.

"All right, Lieutenant Commander. Any updates about the goings on aboard the ship?" he asked.

"There are two situations you should know about. Doctor Korsa will brief you about one over dinner. The other is that Nats took over the creation of the power generators from Jaesa," Pree responded.

"She did, did she? Put her through on the comms," Alex told her. There was some tapping and beeps through the comms, before Priya's response came out.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Nats, you there?" Alex called out.

"Alex! What's up?" Natalya replied warmly.

"Just heard you took over from working on those power generators I tasked Jaesa to work on," he responded.

"Oh, yeah! Jaesa was going with an older design, which was putting too much strain on the circuits. I helped her redesign the dampers and buffers, so the power flows like it should, without overwhelming the circuits," Natalya explained.

"Ah! A flaw in one of our designs? That's unusual," Alex commented.

"It was something tough to spot, but if you know what you're doing, seeing the issue with the design comes naturally. I've already asked Jaesa to make corrections where appropriate with any other designs aboard the Perseus," Nats responded.

"Well done Nats! Be sure to finish up soon. Inari is making shawarma for dinner," Alex told her.

"All right, then! I'll just get cleaned up and meet up with mama and Shazza. See you at dinner!" Natalya said, before killing the line.

"Priya, are you still there?" Alex asked.

"Yes sir. I'm about sixty seconds out. Standby," she replied.

After maybe thirty seconds, Alex saw the shape of the Hermes dropship against the orange sky of Talemkha. He smiled as the sound of it was soon heard over the air, nearing their position. The big man watched as Pree maneuvered the ship into landing right by them. Inari had taught her lover well, as her movements were just as precise and smooth as the older woman's.

The moment it touched down, Alex and Taal'ani were moving, getting aboard the ship before the engines had time to wind down.

"We're aboard Lieutenant Commander. Let's head on home," he called out.

"Roger that, sir. Lifting off now," Priya responded. With that, they were airborne and headed back to the Perseus. Alex felt a rumble in his midsection and chuckled as he anticipated the meal ahead.

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Korsa was looking over the scans she had taken of Shazza and was astounded, yet again! Whatever she and Nats had done, had healed Shazza completely! There were no markings, no scarring, not even so much as a blemish on her skin! Korsa had taken an even deeper scan of Shazza's body, down to her cell structure and found some semblance of an answer.

The energies that Korsa and Natalya had channeled into Shazza were still in the woman's body, but they appeared to be fading away. From What Korsa had gleaned upon watching the energy in action, it had acted like miniature nano repair bots. Each cell was reconstituted and set back to a proper healthy state, before the energy moved on to the next cell.

The thing that was amazing about the whole process was how fast it was! It barely even took a micro-second to repair a single cell that was touched by this energy. It reached out to and affected thousands of cells every second! With its job done, the energies within Shazza had dissipated, mostly. There were some flares of it that lingered, but they too were fading.

"I'm just... amazed! A part of me still can't believe that I could do this!" Korsa exulted, feeling an interminable high from what she'd done for her friend and lover.

"I am amazed too, and most of all, grateful! I don't mind scars much, but the fact they've been wiped from my body completely, is beyond what I could have hoped for!" Shazza enthused.

"Well, at least now, we don't have to fuss overly much about any serious injuries! With this new ability, I'm almost curious about what the limits to it are!" Korsa giggled.

"It's a pity that Kas didn't stick around to see these results!" Natalya groused.

"Not everyone is excited by watching the ins and outs of genetic and cell scans as we are Nats. We're nerds like that," Korsa chuckled.

"I suppose. But, she said that she needed time to process all of this. Think maybe because she's from a different time, that's she's having trouble keeping up?" Natalya wondered.

"Likely. I think I might have to ask the Commodore about the location of this 'meditation sphere'. I could use a few relaxing sessions to help clear my head. Things get a little too cluttered inside, you know what I mean?" Korsa said, posing the question to her adoptive daughter.

"I know that! I can tell you where it is, as Alex took me there once! Or, you could ask Jaesa, as she's plugged into every system onboard," Nats told her.

"Thanks, Nats! Though it is a bit mind bending, this discovery is just amazing!" Korsa enthused.

"I am glad that you could discover it like this. If anyone from my people had been found with this gift, there would have been great battles fought over who would possess them," Shazza told her friend.

"Were such people that rare?" Korsa asked.

"The rarest. Because of their rarity, anyone who controlled a healer was a difficult adversary to overcome. The Lords and Ladies of the Xuul'khan would always keep them close. Because of their gifts, we treated well them, much better than most subjects under each Lord or Lady. But they were still property and treated as property," Shazza explained.

"So, they were like pets?"

"Effectively speaking, yes. Prized, but still property," Shazza said, shaking her head woefully. "How were you able to heal me some completely? Being untrained as you are?"

"That is something that you taught us a while ago. About how powerful emotion was the key to unlocking our power? Both Natalya and I took our cue from that and focused on making you well," Korsa told her, as she shut down the medical equipment, placing it into standby mode. Before leaving, Korsa grabbed a box that had been sitting on the console, as it was a gift that she wanted to give to its recipient, tonight.

Shazza fell into step with Korsa and Natalya as they left the Hospital wing, heading to the monorail. Korsa was still wrapping her brain around the fact that Shazza had been completely healed. She understood that powerful emotion was needed to unlock their abilities and with her, drawing upon such emotions was obvious. What boggled her mind was how Natalya had drawn upon such emotions.

"Natalya! What are you doing?!" Shazza giggled as the trio walked into the monorail station.

"Checking to see on you to see that you're OK, silly! You are OK, right?" Nats asked, looking at Shazza and checking the woman from head to toe. The Trini-Rus woman had her hands all over Shazza's body, checking for wounds, but found nothing.

"Nats, stop that! You're tickling me!" Shazza laughed as she batted Natalya's hands away.

"I just wanted to be sure you would be all right," Natalya said as she hugged the woman. Korsa recognized that kind of fawning and huffed before crossing her arms.

"Really Nats?" Korsa asked, mildly irritated by what she witnessed. It was apparent to the older woman that Shazza and Natalya had recently become lovers, with how intimate they were being with each other.

"What? It's not like you're the only one who felt a spark that night mama," Natalya said almost pleadingly. This admission shocked Korsa, but the only sign of this was her raising her eyebrows.