Project - Prometheus Ch. 22

More than an hour later, Taal'ani lay there, next to a snoring Tahral, the both of them sweaty, steaming and sated. Their passion superheated the room to where they didn't need to heating system to keep warm, but that wasn't what had kept the Fel'caan woman awake. It had been what happened in the throes of their passion.

While they were busy seeking their peaks, Taal'ani lost herself in the moment and bit him, drawing blood. The moment his blood filled her mouth, her senses were overloaded in such a way that she had never felt before. She remembered some women of her clan speaking of such a thing, and how it was a revealing experience.

By tasting the blood of the man or woman she was with, her body would respond in a specific way. It would tell her that the lover in question was not suitable for her, or that he was. What she had experienced was something that went far beyond simple compatibility. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that Tahral was a match... her match!

Her mind reeled at the implications of it, unsure that she even believed it was possible! Her body screamed at her, telling her that this man who lay next to her would be her mate. Taal'ani sniffled, both happy and angry; happy that she had found her mate, but angry that she had found him so soon!

Taal'ani wanted more time to explore the galaxy, to see its marvels and wonders, but now her body was telling her that it was time. Time to mate with this man, settle down and raise kits of her own. This too perplexed the woman, as Tahral wasn't even of her own species! She didn't know what any children they could have would look like. She didn't even know if having children with him was possible!

She eventually concluded that there was little she could do about such things now. Taal'ani would have to speak with Korsa about this in the morning and hope that she had some answers! Though Korsa was a friend and member of the crew, she was a doctor, first and foremost. She would keep Taal'ani's business confidential, as was her oath as a doctor. Sighing heavily, she drifted off to sleep, her mind still rolled along, thinking if it was possible, what her and Tahral's children would look like.

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

Inari was coasting along, the wing of VI drones in formation on her wing. She dipped and rolled around a group of oncoming enemy starfighters, while the drones emulated her maneuvers. They all had escaped the oncoming fire unscathed, except for two of the drones, which moved incorrectly. Inari sighed heavily, as it would take a fair bit of training to get these drones to obey her precise orders.

"Pause the simulation," she called out and the whole scenario froze in place.

The VI programs that Jaesa and Taal'ani had put together were doing their jobs. They followed orders to the letter and were effective when directed. That was the big problem, following orders, rather than thinking more creatively, as human pilots would. She didn't know what she could do to adjust their programming parameters.

Inari would have to have a word with Talon about any fixes she could come up with to make the VI's more... flexible. Feeling like she needed a break, Inari stepped out of the simulation pod and stretched. She checked the timing and made her way to the cockpit, getting ready for the next leg of their journey. Just as she arrived was when the five-minute warning timer went off.

Sliding into the cockpit, Inari went over all the systems, ensuring that they were functioning normally. She saw that they were and was happy to see it all working as it should be. Seeing how everything was in order, Inari just sat there and waited for the moment to drop from hyperspace.

The minutes ticked by quickly and soon, Inari reversed the lever, dropping the Darkstrider from hyperspace to real space. Double checking the co-ordinates, she saw that they had arrived Phalarn waypoint and thankfully; it was empty. Her scans showed no other ships in the area, so she guided the Darkstrider to the departure corridor for Seerahn station.

"One leg of our journey done today?" a familiar, feminine voice asked behind her.

"That's right, Pree! Just laying the co-ordinates to Seerahn station now," Inari informed her girlfriend.

"Always the diligent one, eh Captain?"

"Someone has to be. Not that we all aren't diligent in our own way, but some folks here are a little slothful," Inari stated.

"Not everyone has the same military bearing ingrained into them love," Priya told her lover gently.

"I get that. Just wish they hopped to faster is all," Inari groused.

"I seem to remember a certain troublemaker back at the Federation academy, who hated the rules. Did her level best to break every single one. You wouldn't know anyone like that, would you love?" Priya teased.

"Oh, quiet you!"

Priya giggled as she stepped away from the cockpit as Inari lined them up with their hyperspace vector. A few seconds later, after receiving the co-ordinates from the navi-computer, she pulled the lever, sending the Darkstrider back into hyperspace. Inari sighed heavily as she stood up, walking to Priya and enveloping her in a hug.

"What's wrong love? Something's bothering you and I need to know what," Priya told Inari. Knowing that her lover was in mothering mode, Inari fessed up and told her the problems she was having with the drone VI's and how they were not being inventive enough.

"Sounds like a problem for Talon. We should get her to weigh in on this, if we're going to upgrade the VI programming," Priya said.

"Speaking of which, what is that girl up to? I haven't seen her since the tour," Inari asked curiously.

"I'm pretty sure she's in Tahral's cabin with the boy. I saw that privacy mode was engaged when I was stowing my stuff and checking over my cabin earlier," Priya snickered.

"I swear, she needs to get her head back into the game. We need her skills to be sharp if we're going to accomplish our missions," Inari grumped.

"Cut the girl some slack, will you? Before we found the Perseus, except for you and me, the rest of the crew had been high and dry for some time. Let the girl get herself some snu-snu. You know how it helps clear the head," Priya giggled.

"I suppose. Out of curiosity, what's the rest of the crew doing?" Inari asked.

"Well, Lumi and Shazza are learning about board games and strategy from Kas," Priya started.

"What game could they be playing that teaches them strategy?"

"Chess. Shazza seems to be quite taken with the game. She's lost a lot but is determined to beat Kas before we arrive. About the others, Alex and Nats are in the workout area next to Korsa and Aesha, doing arm day, while Korsa is training Aesha in the Kha'Varen," Priya informed her.

"At least everyone is staying busy. I wonder if Taal'ani will be up soon, as I could really use her help with those VI's," Inari went on, not letting the topic drop.

"Well, if what she told us about Artucian men is true, then it will be at least an hour before we see her around. How about I help you a bit with the simulation?" Priya offered.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Let me join you in the simulation. Maybe having more than one person in it with you will spur the learning algorithm to adapt better," Priya suggested.

"You know, that's not a bad idea! You good to jump in right now?" Inari asked.

"Sure! Load up the program and we'll see how it goes!" Priya replied happily.

Priya walked with her girlfriend, and they headed back down to Deck Three. Once they arrived, they immediately went for the simulation pods. Hopping in right away, both women activated the pods, and they sealed shut. Once inside, Priya put on the helmet, which had a built in headset, so she could communicate with Inari.

"Check, check, come in," Priya called out.

"Starwitch here," Inari said, replying to Priya's call.

"I love that name! It suits you!" Priya giggled.

"Thanks! So, what simulation did you want to run?" Inari wondered.

"I was thinking we should run our escape from the pirates, before we found the Perseus," Priya responded, after taking a moment to think about it.

"Two destroyers and eight fighters? Not a bad call Pree!"

"Eh. I try. So, what do you want to be?" she asked her lover.

"I'll go in the Banshee, as always. You simulate the Darkstrider as she is, not what she was," Inari replied.

"Want to see if our upgrades make a difference?" Priya snickered.

"It would be the prudent thing to do. Besides, if we're still going after Rat Faced Mike, then we will need to have some idea of what we can do," the older woman stated.

"Can't argue that! Loading simulation of the Darkstrider," Priya called out.

In seconds, the interior of the pod shifted from the eggshell white to a full hologram of the Darkstrider's cockpit. The level of detail was so precise that Priya almost couldn't tell it was a hologram. The controls and buttons had shifted, so that everything was where it should be. Marveling at this piece of technology, Priya took hold of the controls and readied herself.

"You ready to start love?" Inari asked.

"Let's do this!" Priya enthused.

"Commencing simulation."

The simulated environment spurred into motion, playing out the encounter as they remembered it.

"Eight fighters, bearing down on us fast love!" Priya called out, bringing the ship about.

"I'm on it! Moving to intercept vector!" Inari replied. Priya put full power to the shields and thrusters, driving hard to catch up with the Banshee fighter. Despite the upgrades to the Darkstrider, the Banshee was still faster and easily outdistanced it.

"Damn! You've some serious zip in your thrusters now, love!" Priya enthused.

"Cut the chatter! We have a job to do!" Inari snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Priya replied, remembering why they were here.

She noted that Inari had all four drones with her, formed up on her wing. They closed the distance with the fighter group immediately, closing to firing range and opening fire. From where Priya was sitting, it was an even fight, but they had blasted all but one of the enemy fighters into scrap!

"By Shiva!" Priya breathed.

She saw that all four drones were still intact, if a little battered. Priya the saw two drones peeling away from the group, chasing down that lone fighter. She set her focus on her own ship, which she was jinking left and right to avoid incoming laser fire. The destroyer that was shooting at her missed most of their shots. The response time of the Darkstrider was much faster than it had been, allowing her to dodge the deadly blasts.

Priya closed in with the destroyer and she saw the name on the hull, Cerberus. In her mind, this dog was just about to be put down as she squeezed the trigger. Laser fire peppered the destroyer's shields and because she was so close to the ship, there was no way she could miss! Shot after shot screamed out of the pulsar cannons, sapping the destroyer's shields of their strength.

The Darkstrider had taken a few hits in that pass, but the shields were holding strong. Just as Priya had finished her pass was the moment the destroyer's shields winked out, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Banking hard left, Priya came about and opened fire again, this time, launching a full salvo of torpedoes at the pirate ship. The lasers hit the destroyer first, just moments before the torpedoes impacted on its hull and detonated.

The resulting shock wave was enough to buffet the Darkstrider some, but Priya saw the devastating results. The entire engine housing, which protected the thrusters from damage or debris, was utterly destroyed. Priya couldn't help but stare at the destroyer, or what was left of it. The ship had ruptured at the seams, coming apart like an exploding banana, with pieces of it floating away from the wrecked hulk.

Priya tore away her gaze from the listing ship, to check on Inari, but saw that she needn't have worried about her. The second destroyer was heavily damaged, with hull ruptures interspersed on its surface. It barely had any functional thrusters, which were being used to come about and escape back into hyperspace. Inari never gave them that chance.

Coming around for a final pass, Inari fired another salvo of laser bursts, striking the ship heavily. The drones backed her up on the attack, firing on the destroyer. This pass ended it, as the power core of the destroyer ruptured because of the pressure and the ship exploded. The energy it unleashed was enough to snap the ship in half, like a biscotto over a cup of coffee.

"By all the Gods and Goddesses!" Priya breathed.

"On that, we have to agree love!" Inari's disbelieving voice came in over the comms.

"I had always heard that the technology of the Prometheus vessels was advanced, but not quite this advanced!" Priya agreed.

She had a look over the Darkstrider's shields and systems and was amazed to see that they were relatively unscathed! Sure, the shields had taken some hits, but they held to where she needn't have worried herself about it. If Inari could have seen the look on Priya's face, she would have been rolling on the floor, laughing her ass off. Shaking her head, Priya climbed out of her pod and waited for Inari to do the same.

"I'd say that the stories weren't exaggerating about the true might of the weapons the Prometheus ships had!" Inari sighed as she twisted her body this way and that, working some kinks out.

"You think we could do another simulation?" Priya wondered.

"What were you thinking?"

"Maybe we could sim up a cruiser? With the firepower we have in the sim, we should at least know if it is possible!" Priya enthused.

"That's not a bad idea, but first, I want something to eat!" Inari replied just as her stomach growled. Priya giggled at this and they walked arm in arm to the galley to find something to snack on.

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

"That is all for today, Aesha. Not bad for your first training session," Korsa told the Artucian woman.

"Thank you, Uucshi," Aesha replied, bowing her head. Korsa had been hard on her, as she had been told, but Aesha was an experienced warrior. She saw Korsa's methods for what they were, a way for her to build up her defenses, while also tightening her discipline.

"While we were sparring, and I was taking you through the forms, I noticed a few things. Most prominent to me, was a limp you have on your left leg," Korsa told her.

"Yes. It is an old wound that still pains me from time to time," Aesha replied as she mopped her sweaty brow with a towel.

"How did you come by it?"

"It was during a hunting trip with several other warriors. We were looking for anything out in the tundra, as game was scarce that season. A pack of Sahr'coun hounds came at us during the night. Though we were well armed, they caught us by surprise and bloodied us. The hounds were killed and thank the Gods that no one had died, but we were all hurt from that day," Aesha explained as she lifted the pant leg, showing Korsa the scar.

"So, a hound bit you?" Korsa asked, examining it.

"Teeth went right into my knee and it hurt for many days after. Had to squeeze the wound constantly, to purge the poison," Aesha grumped.

"Poison?"

"What happens when you are bitten by something and the wound doesn't heal the way it should," the Artucian woman stated.

"This poison was it yellowish and thick? Did it stink?" Korsa wondered.

"Yes, it was, and it did," Aesha replied. "You have seen it before?"

"That's not poison, it's infection. It's what happens when you are cut or injured by something that isn't clean. The result of which is that the wound festers and unless it is treated right away, the damage done can sometimes be permanent. Death can occur if you leave it for too long," Korsa explained.

"This... infection... is a common thing?" Aesha asked.

"Common enough to where there are drugs available to combat it before it can seriously hurt you. You limp is not just a result of the infection, but also of damaged tendons and ligaments in your leg by my guess. Lucky for you, I can fix that," the big woman told her student.

"How?" Aesha asked hopefully.

"Come with me."

Aesha hurried behind Korsa, eager to know how she would fix her leg, but also happy that it could be done! They made their way to sick bay, where Korsa had a multitude of things crafted per her request. Once they passed the doors, Korsa smiled at all the new, custom-built equipment she had Jaesa craft for her.

There were three beds now, instead of just one, each one sized for a Khontaran. All her equipment from the Darkstrider had been brought over and some if it was even improved upon! The medi-mechanical bracers she had worn when she was injured, had been upgraded with lighter materials, to make movement less of a chore. That was just one example of the many things that had been done!

She was grateful to Jaesa for taking the initiative for outfitting the Sick Bay properly. The two things Korsa had Jaesa craft for this ship was a smaller Spock and a customized regen Pod. This pod was different in the way to where it could take someone of her size and weight with no issue. Also, the programming was updated, to work with species other than humans.

"Are you going to tell me how you intend to fix my leg?" Aesha wondered.

"It's not just your leg, but everything else that needs fixing. The limp was the most prominent thing I noticed, but it wasn't the only one," Korsa told her student. She then picked up a tablet from the Regen pod and walked over, activating a nearby drone.

"Privacy windows please," Korsa called out and the windows to the sick bay were tinted to be opaque immediately.

"I will need you to strip down for me and I'll tell you as I get you prepped," Korsa told her. Aesha nodded and did as her doctor asked.

"How we will fix your leg is simple. This here," Korsa said, laying a hand on the pod-like machine, "is called a Regen Pod. There's a lot of science behind how things such as this work, but I won't bore you with that. The basic idea is that it will repair you damaged tissues, organs and your bone structure. Effectively, resetting you to a perfect, healthy state, where there is no damage or scars."

"It can... do that?" Aesha asked as she stared at Korsa and the pod in wonder.

"Yes. I took the time to do a full and proper analysis of Luminia, along with several other men and women of the Artucian. Because of this I could establish a baseline of normal for your race, so repairing anything that was recent or old, can be done," Korsa replied as she watched the woman remove the final article of her clothing.

Aesha was a well-formed woman, standing at six-foot-two, with a lithe and athletic figure. Her face was beautiful, much like that of a classic Valkyrie, which was framed by long silver blonde hair and orangey/amber colored eyes. Her skin was more of bright cobalt as opposed to the sky blue that Luminia's was.

She had good musculature, which spoke of a deep and abiding power. Aesha also had prominent, womanly curves, and going by how wide her hips were, she would have little issue bearing children should she wish it. Her rack was nothing to sneeze at, being a little smaller than Luminia, but not by much.

"Please stand still. I need to complete a scan, then a cleaning. If you would please raise your arms up like this?" Korsa asked, demonstrating.

Aesha did as she was told and lifted her arms, letting the drone Korsa just called out preform its scan of the woman. The scan was complete after twenty seconds, and the results were uploaded to Korsa's tablet shortly after that. The doctor's eyes widened when she saw the extensive damage that Aesha had suffered. It was a wonder she could fight as she did at all!

There were dozens of scars that crisscrossed Aesha's body, which resulted in nearly ten percent of her muscle mass being scar tissue. There was also her knee, which Korsa knew about, but also several other fractures. The most serious of which were cracked bones in both ankles and her spine! She also suffered from semi separated tendons on both elbows and was missing her left pinky.