Project - Prometheus Ch. 20

Inari put aside her memories and went back to the reality of the situation. Everyone was nearly mounted up and Inari stepped into the driver's seat, waiting on everyone to finish taking their seats. Once seated, she started up the cart, and they were off, on their way to the Ark.

The journey down was uneventful, even if it was a little spooky and foreboding. This deep beneath the ice on the surface was a little daunting, but with enough time, it wouldn't be an issue. The residual heat from the activated part of the dome had been funneled down through the tunnel and the walls, which had been solid ice, were now wet with moisture. If the heat persisted in this way, then it wouldn't be long before the roof of the tunnels melted away.

The heat lamps and beacons that they'd planted earlier were still there and stable. There were also patrols of both Artucian warriors and Sentry-Bots patrolling the tunnel as they went. Their presence was reassuring to the woman, as them doing their routines and patrols ensured that no one would go missing while out and around.

They made good time to the base of the Dead Snows, crossing the bridge to the other side with no issue. Inari chanced a quick glance around and saw that the Sentries had been busy, de-icing what ships they could, without rendering the cavern unstable. They had concentrated most on the Ark, breaking away the larger chunks that would take too long to melt, while freeing up as much of the structure as they could.

Inari appreciated the hard work that the Sentries were doing, as it made their job much easier. Larger portions of the Ark were now cleared, and from the report she'd received that morning, more of the Ark's structure were now accessible to them. They had mapped some of it out, but there was still a lot to do with unearthing the behemoth of a ship.

Inari stopped the cart and everyone dismounted, the onboard Sentries coming away to aid the others in the de-icing, One of the Sentries stayed behind, which she found odd, until she heard a voice calling to her from the Sentry.

"Commander Sunara?" Stanley called out, catching her attention.

"Yes, Stanley? What is it?" Inari replied.

"I have two things that require your immediate attention. The first is something I have done to make travel to this subterranean zone a little easier," the VI stated.

"Which is?"

"At the direction of Jaesa, I have commandeered a platoon of Sentries to carve a path to the surface of the Dead Snows. Another platoon has already been dropped off by Lieutenant Patel and they have begun digging from the surface," Stanley informed her.

"An excellent idea, Stanley! Remind me to thank Jaesa for that! Travelling down that tunnel can be a little scary sometimes," Inari admitted.

"That was Jaesa's deduction, which is why she delegated the work for me to oversee," the VI replied, happy to be service again.

"What was the second thing?" Inari wondered.

"You have an incoming communique from Doctor Korsa," Stanley told her.

"Put her through," the dusky-skinned woman told him. The Sentry went quiet for a few moments, before Korsa's voice came through in place of Stanley's.

"Commander Sunara, come in."

"Commander Sunara here. What is it, doctor?" Inari asked.

"Just wondering how things are looking down there, progress wise," Korsa asked, speaking through the Sentry.

"It's looking good, in fact. They have cleared away a lot of ice from the Ark and the surrounding ships, but not enough to make it unstable down here," Inari reported.

"Good to hear. Have the Sentries begun working on the tunnel to the surface yet?" Korsa wondered.

"I was just informed of this and from what Stanley has told me, they've been working on for the last few hours from down here. Lieutenant Patel has dropped off a platoon of Sentries on the surface, to help speed up the process," Inari continued.

"Excellent. Keep me posted of any changes or significant developments," Korsa told her.

"I'll have the Sentries inside on record mode, so nothing is missed or overlooked," Inari promised.

"Very good. I'll let you get back to it then," Korsa said before she killed the comm.

The Sentry in question, then went about its business, following the orders it had received earlier. Inari smirked and turned around to head inside the Ark. Everyone else had gone on ahead without her, but she wasn't miffed. With so much to do, there was no time to be waiting on anyone, so she moved on into the wrecked ship.

The stairway up to the observation deck was wider and much neater than it had been, which Inari appreciated. After crossing into the wreck, she followed a sequence of guiding lights that were set up, leading her to the bridge. She arrived in time to watch Taal'ani setting up a generator and linking it carefully to exposed power outlets. Tahral was helping direct her, pointing out spots that she still needed to connect.

"You sure you know what you're doing there, Talon?" Inari wondered.

"A lot of this is guesswork but going from how the wiring and systems are set up, it's an educated guess. Besides, I got a good look at the power flow inside the network, so most of what I'm doing has been based on that," Taal'ani replied.

"Well, that's something. You about ready then?" Inari wondered.

"Ready as I'll ever be," the catgirl stated before stepping away from the hookups and heading back to the generator. "Ok everyone, I will start up the power and amperage of the generator into the mainframe. You may see nothing at first, as the system is old and I hope that the ice hasn't fried anything here."

The Artucian nodded, hoping that the system would hold despite its age. Taal'ani had inspected it the previous day, to be sure that it would still function. The catgirl had been suitably impressed at the overall design of the systems, which were built to last. That they were still intact after all the crash landing was impressive, nevermind the time the ship had been trapped in the ice.

Taal'ani started at the lowest setting, feeding power straight into the ship computers. There was nothing at first, but slowly, the mainframe was drawing power from the generator. Taal'ani kept managing the power flow, ensuring that the machine didn't draw on too much, too fast.

The mainframe started powering up, a low humming sounding through the bridge. Lights flickered around before they powered up fully, at least those that weren't burnt out or busted. Tahral monitored the mainframe, checking for anything that could be considered dangerous, as it drew more power. The humming continued to get louder before it reached a plateau, to where the sound grew no more.

The generator finally reached a point where the power draw was steady. The moment it evened out, several nearby doors slid open, allowing access to additional areas nearby. The Artucian and the crew looked around in wonder, glad to see that the ship could still function after all this time. Taal'ani's attention, however, was on the mainframe in front of her and the holopad in front of her. More specifically, the figure that was materializing on the holopad.

The figure was an Artucian woman, but it appeared to be a construct of some sort, much like Jaesa. It was dressed in robes that nearly mirrored Luminia's, but were more archaic in their design. Its eyes opened, and it spoke, but something garbled the words that came out to an extent, but it was somewhat coherent. Valessa, and Luminia, looked at the hologram in confusion and were left scratching their heads.

"Going by those looks, you two are just as confused as we are," Inari guessed.

"Yes. This... VI... is speaking in Artucian, but it is a dialect that we do not recognize. Some things it is saying can be understood, but barely," Luminia answered.

"I might be able to help," Jaesa stated, her voice emanating from a nearby Sentry.

"What have you got, Jaesa?" Inari wondered.

"The language is Artucian, but it's definitely older, going by how the VI is using the various sounds to compose its sentences. Give me a few minutes, while I run some probability algorithms to narrow down what it's saying," the AI responded.

"Take whatever time you need, Jaesa. We have nothing but time at this moment," Inari stated.

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Jaesa floated in the electronic systems of the Sentry and extended a bridge to the Ark's mainframe. The moment she made the connection, the VI turned to regard her instantly. Its eyes blazed and a stream of commands issued forth from it, none of which Jaesa fully understood. She was running the algorithms to break down and understand what the VI was saying, but it was a little slow, as the VI stopped talking.

An idea struck her at the moment and Jaesa stepped out onto the bridge, one foot in front of the other. More commands and she assumed threats were being directed at her, which is what she needed. The more the VI spoke, the more of a baseline that Jaesa had to work with. She kept moving, inching closer to the Ark mainframe with each step, keeping the VI's attention.

The VI became more and more agitated as Jaesa approached, its voice becoming threatening. Jaesa was maybe halfway across when the first attack was launched from the mainframe. It was powerful, but clumsy, and Jaesa batted it away like one would an errant fly. The VI was astonished at this development, but attacked again and again, and Jaesa casually knocked each attack aside.

The VI kept going, hurling attack after attack, trying to stop Jaesa, but nothing could stop her. Chancing a look at the algorithm, Jaesa noted that the language process and patterns translation module was at eighty percent. She kept walking, nearing the entry point of the mainframe, but stopped short once she reached the threshold.

"Stop... there... qbvhs... zrakt... intruder..." it said to her.

The translation wasn't perfect, but it was much better than it had been. Jaesa knew that going any further would provoke the VI into a full cyber attack, which she did not wish to do. The AI then brought her hands together, drawing knowledge from the Perseus' mainframe. The knowledge in question was an information packet that she was putting together as a gift for the VI, so it could understand them.

The VI would have become hostile, but Jaesa had adopted a neutral pose, placing her hands in front of her, offering the packet. It looked at Jaesa skeptically as it viewed the packet in her hands, which was a glowing bronze ball of energy. It crossed its arms and huffed for a moment, before it reached over, with a bluish ray of light emitting from its hand. The light scanned the information packet, showing bits and pieces of the information inside. Nothing from the packet changed at all under the scan, so the VI scanned it again.

When the packet still stayed the same color, its distrust faded to mild dislike, before it reached out with both arms, palms facing up. Carefully, Jaesa pushed the packet to the VI before it settled over into its hands. The VI then absorbed the information, its eyes blinking rapidly as it downloaded the knowledge into its databanks. Seconds later, the VI took a deep breath and looked at Jaesa, smiling.

"Thank... you... Jaesa. This makes... understanding... easier..." the VI replied.

"You are welcome. Might I know your name, since you already know mine?" Jaesa wondered.

"My name?"

"Yes. Your name. What you are called, so I don't have to call you something that might be rude or inappropriate," Jaesa replied with a giggle.

"My name is... is... Ylena," the VI responded.

"Pleased to meet you, Ylena," Jaesa said with a slight bow. Ylena bowed back before she resumed speaking.

"Again... thank you for... the knowledge. It is... good to... communicate with other... beings," Ylena stated.

"Glad I could help with that. If I didn't already have the Artucian language as it is now as a baseline, I wouldn't have been able to cobble together that packet so quickly," she told the VI.

"The language has... changed from... what it was. Strange that... I was not... aware of this," the VI said, its programming rapidly adapting to the information it had received.

"A lot of time has passed since you were last active Ylena. What do you remember from that time?" Jaesa asked.

"I remember... the snow. It was falling in... large amounts. Too large. I worried that... Artucian habitats would be... buried beneath them," she responded.

"It took a while, but that is exactly what happened. The Artucian domes were eventually covered by the falling snow and ice, many of which were overtaken by the snows," Jaesa informed her.

"The Artucian... they are gone?" Ylena asked, her voice full of trepidation.

"No, they are still here. Did you not see them when the mainframe came online?" Jaesa wondered.

"My sensors are... dead. I can speak, but cannot hear or sense anything," the VI admitted.

"Well, that is something that we will have to fix. For now, come with me and meet not only my crew, but the people you came here with," Jaesa said, her hand extended in invitation.

Ylena was hesitant but took Jaesa's hand and left the mainframe behind. A single line of code was anchored to the VI's back, which Jaesa assumed kept her connected to the mainframe. The VI stepped into the Sentry's circuits with Jaesa and was amazed at how responsive the frame was. Ylena looked over at Jaesa and Jaesa nodded, allowing her control of the Sentry.

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

"Hello!" the unfamiliar voice called out loudly. Everyone in the immediate vicinity shrank away from the voice, almost frightened by it.

"It's OK, everyone! Don't be alarmed. The voice is that of Ylena, the VI that we see on the holographic projector," Jaesa said to everyone there.

"Why is she not speaking to us through the ship?" Valessa asked with trepidation in her voice.

"That is because everything that allows me to speak and see anyone here is broken. If it was all still working, I would not need this... Sentry?" she said.

"Yes, it is called a Sentry. With a little time and effort, we can repair or replace the pieces that would allow you to communicate with anyone here," Taal'ani replied, approaching the commandeered Sentry.

"That would be... appreciated," Ylena replied happily.

"To make that happen, both Tahral and I have some questions to ask, so we can start creating the replacements for you," Taal'ani stated.

"And I have many questions about our people! Where we came from, why we came here and the histories that have been lost to time," Valessa said.

"Ask your questions. I am more than happy to provide you with the answers you seek!" Ylena said.

Her translation was a little off, but no one paid it much mind, as the excitement in the room was far too high for anyone to care. Tahral and Taal'ani went first, jotting down their notes to craft what they needed to make the VI speak to the Artucian as it once had. Valessa patiently waited her turn, feeling giddy, like a little girl who was getting something she'd wanted.

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

Natalya walked out of another memory, disappointed in what she'd learned there. She'd gone through several dozen memories already and had found only snippets of information here and there. It had been alluded to that Analisa possessed a gift of sorts, but nothing clear on what it was, or how she'd attained it. She walked into the Nexus of Memories, finding both Alex and Kasumi waiting for her there.

"Anything?" Kas asked.

"Nope. Just another memory where things were implied, but nothing concrete," Natalya groused.

"There has to be something here that we've missed," Alex growled, looking at the memories orbiting around them. They appeared brighter than they had before, with each memory taking on full color and brightness after they had relived it. Alex sighed and saw that they had visited every single one and not yet found any real tangible answers.

"Wait a sec, what about that one?" Kasumi asked, pointing at one that was barely visible, floating at the outer edge of the Nexus.

"Which one?" Alex asked.

"That one! Right there, way in the back!" Kasumi said, pointing straight at it.

"I see it, but just barely!" Nat said, grinning excitedly.

"What are you two talking about? I don't see anything there!" Alex said, irritated.

"Maybe there's a reason that you can't see it," Natalya said to him.

She extended her hand, calling out to the memory, trying to bring it to her. The memory resisted somehow, like it didn't want to be called down. Kasumi stepped up, reaching with Natalya, calling to it. Reluctantly, the memory moved towards them, as though it wasn't happy about this.

"Wait... I do see something!" Alex responded as it came closer.

He walked up to his ladies and extended his hand, helping them in calling it down. The memory then responded as it should have, flying to them almost instantly. This memory, was far different from the others. Where the ones they had relived were open and showed a preview of what was this one did not. Instead, it was obscured by a purple haze, clouding the memory so they could not see it.

"I think we may have found the one with the answers in it," Natalya guessed.

"Seems like it. Any idea about what we'll find inside Alex?" Kasumi asked.

"None. I wasn't even aware of this memory! If I had been, I would have searched through it first," Alex replied.

"Well, since we're here, we should have a look see. Hopefully, this is it!" Nat said.

"All right, then. On three?" the big man asked.

"On three," Kas confirmed.

"One... two... three!" Natalya counted down.

As one, they touched the memory, taking hold of it in different places. A purple cloud swathed them in its murk, obscuring the Nexus. Since they were so close, they could all still see each other as the clouds grew thicker and thicker. Soon after, the clouds cleared, and they were no longer in the Nexus, but now in the memory.

The trio stood in a modest home made of wood, with various furnishings placed about. It was decorated in a fashion that suggested that it was in the Caribbean. Going by the view that could be seen from the window and the salty tang in the air, it sat right by the ocean. The place was tastefully decorated, well-appointed, and looked like a spiritual shop. Their focus turned to the pair that were sitting at a table, looking at each other.

In one seat was Alex, as his large and blocky frame was unmistakable. The ladies thought he looked younger then, less hardened than he had been. He had a few more pounds on him, not as fit as he was now, but close to it. The woman sitting opposite him also caught their attention, as she held something in her hands.

It was a card deck, but it wasn't playing cards that she was pulling out. They appeared to be some kind of Tarot cards, but of the nontraditional sort. The pictures on them were beautifully painted, of angelic and gorgeous beings, among many other illustrations.

"Analisa seems to have become more and more beautiful over the years," Kasumi said with a mischievous smirk.

"I'm surprised you noticed that," Natalya jibed, causing Kasumi to blush slightly.

"I can see why you seem to have a thing for exotic looking women though," Natalya directed at Alex, who grinned and placed a kiss on her cheek, then one on Kasumi's.

Analisa was a gorgeous woman, as her skin was a mocha color, which was complimented by brown, curly hair. It wasn't as thick as Natalya's but enough where her Jamaican heritage was apparent. Though sitting, she was a tall woman, maybe five foot ten, and had a lithe dancer's figure. Her curves, hips and bust equaled Natalya's, though she was thicker in the waist.

Her eyes were a deep blue that was rarely seen, so blue that they seemed almost purple. Her face had the elegant and beautiful elfin look, which was rare and always looked upon favorably. Her smile was dazzling and blinding in its beauty, making everyone there smile with her.