Project - Prometheus Ch. 24

"How..."

"C'mon mama. I'll fill you in on the way down to the workshop," Natalya told the big woman, as she dragged her along with Jaesa. As everyone else left the lounge, Shazza, Aesha, Luminia and Kasumi decided on a few games to help them calm down.

"So, what do you want to play?" Shazza asked.

"What was that game you were playing with Alex earlier? It involved those little black and white pieces?" Luminia asked.

"Ah! Chess! You might want to learn how the game is played from Kasumi. She's kicked my ass several times in a row with it," Shazza admitted with a laugh.

The Artucian women then turned to the redheaded woman with a hopeful look in their eyes. Kasumi rolled her good-naturedly and sat down with the women, going over the game with them. After a few practice games, Aesha and Luminia had a hand on the game and started playing each other. Shazza watched the game unfold in front of her until Kasumi caught her attention.

"What?"

"I need a workout buddy. It's arm day!" Kasumi almost pleaded with the Xuul'khani woman. Shazza mulled the idea over in her head before nodding, knowing that she could use a workout herself. Kasumi squealed in glee at this and the pair of them headed to the gym, leaving the Artucian women to their game.

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"Who were those guys that attacked us?" Priya wondered as she ambled onto the bridge with Inari and Alex right on her heels.

"I was asking that myself and I was wearing a body cam while we were out on the station, so we can rewind and see what we missed," Inari stated. "Stanley, can you upload the footage to this console, please?"

"Done, Captain. You may view the footage at your leisure," Stanley replied.

Inari played out the whole encounter on the station, from her deal with the fence to the escape. She paused it at several instances, scrutinizing the stills as she worked to deduce who was after them. She and Alex studied them, and she was at a loss about who they were. Normally, it wouldn't have mattered to her, but if there was a chance they were established on other stations or planets, they could fast become a problem.

"I'm noticing a recurring motif on these guys," Alex blurted out, breaking the woman's concentration.

"Which is what?" Priya asked, craning her head to look at the man.

"Each one of them, has the color red on them somewhere. Check the stills on each one of them. The guys that followed us, the ones that co-ordinated the ambush and even that loud mouth. They all have the exact shade of red somewhere on their clothing," Alex said, bringing up the still frame shots of each ganger.

"Very astute of you, Commodore. I will retask my algorithms to include matching colors as well," Stanley stated.

"I thought I heard a name being shouted by their leader. Blood... something. Can't remember for the life of me," Alex groaned.

"Speaking of which, what happened to that guy? The one who shot Tahral?" Inari asked.

"He took refuge on a pile of crates that afforded him a fortified position. I tried to distract him, then take him down, but I had no shot initially," Alex explained. "That was before I saw that he'd barricaded himself on barrels full of methane gas."

"So, he's dead then?" Priya asked.

"Unless he could somehow miraculously survive being engulfed in fiery gas, that guy is now flambé human," Alex finished.

"Bastard got what he deserved, if you ask me," Inari smiled.

"Agreed. Told the son of a bitch to go burn in hell," the big man smirked.

"Nice!" Priya snickered as the trio were looking over the stills of the various gangers they had fought.

"Hold on a sec. That guy right there, place the image on the main display," Inari demanded. Seconds later the image was loaded, and she stared at the picture for a moment.

"What is love?" Priya wondered.

"Stanley, can you zoom in on the right side of his neck please?" Inari asked, her face coming to a sense of realization. The VI did as he was asked and zoomed in, cleaning up the image as he went. The image finished zooming in and Inari saw the symbol tattooed on his neck. It looked like a red raindrop, or a tear, but Inari knew what it was, and it was as she had feared.

"Aw shit!"

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Those gangers chasing us? They weren't just ordinary low rent thugs looking for a quick score. These guys are a chapter of the Sanguinary Order," Inari groaned.

"The Sanguinary Order? Sounds like something of a cult," Alex replied.

"In some ways, they are. They are an intergalactic gang, with dozens of splinter chapters all across the galaxy. They are fiercely loyal to their fellow gangers and are ceaselessly brutal to any who threaten them or get in their way. If these guys are onto us, then we might have a problem," Inari told him.

"Just how brutal are they?" Alex asked, curious about the gang.

"In order to become a member of the gang, you have to kill someone and not just kill them. You have to drain their blood and bring it back to the gang, along with the head of the person you killed. If they're convinced that you made your kill, they then take the blood and anoint you with it," Inari explained.

"Anoint you with it?"

"Much like a baptism, but the specifics depend on the chapter. Each member is a stone-cold killer, who would slaughter their own families if they were commanded to," Inari replied with a shudder.

"How do you know so much about them?" Alex wondered.

"Not long after I was discharged, one job Pree and I had was to help a former Sanguinarian disappear. She paid us well and was rather chatty during the time she spent with us. Haven't seen her since we dropped her off at Eden's Dawn station years ago," she stated, reminiscing.

"I see. Do the Sanguinary Order have chapters at every station then?" he asked, more than a little perturbed at what he'd learned.

"Not every station, but a lot of them. They tend to gravitate to where it would be easy for them to gain a foothold. The closer you are to civilized worlds and clusters, the less of them you will see," Priya informed the big man.

"Stanley, can you craft an algorithm to look for such gangers whenever we step off the Darkstrider?" Inari asked.

"I am already crafting such an algorithm as we speak, Captain," the VI replied. "Jaesa is also assisting me with it. She's helping me fine tune it for more subtle variances in the appearance and dress of such members."

"Excellent! Now Captain, did you have an idea as to where we should go next?" he wondered.

"I'm thinking if we're going to get into further scrapes, we need to get our hands on some medical supplies," she stated.

"Isn't the medbay stocked with such supplies already?" Alex queried, confused.

"It is, but there are more effective and exotic things we can get our hands on, now that we have the credits," she replied cryptically.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking babe?" Priya asked excitedly.

"Yes, love. We're going to Veldhern."

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Taal'ani approached the Medbay anxiously, eager to see how Tahral was doing. She walked to the door which slid apart at her approach. She crossed the threshold and stepped in; the door closing behind her. Tahral was laid out on one bed, with an IV drip in his arm and covered in blankets. His eyes were closed, and his breathing sounded even, which had Taal'ani sigh in relief.

She drew near his bed and had a look at his arm, which was resting in a sling and bandaged up. Though Korsa had some nice toys when it came to dealing with wounds, she still opted for more traditional methods. She had complained that she was having a tough time making the Torean wound sealer work properly. Artucian physiology, while resilient, was also tougher to work with when mending wounds.

"Taal'ani?" he called out, his eyes blinking open.

"I'm here, Tahral," she told him, drawing his head to hers, kissing the man. He kissed her back and sighed happily, reaching out for her with his good arm.

"Ah, ah! Down boy. Let me crawl in," she said to him with a sultry smirk. Tahral smiled and shifted his ass as best he could to make room for the woman. Once there was enough space, she clambered in and snuggled up next to him. Taal'ani noted a slight bulge down my Tahral's legs, which had her grinning.

"Someone looks happy to see me!" she snickered.

"What? Can it be helped if I react that way to a beautiful woman?" he queried.

"Oooh! You're getting good! If it wasn't for Korsa telling me no hanky panky, I'd be having my way with you right now, buster!" Taal'ani purred.

"She wouldn't have to know!" the man suggested with a grin.

"Oh, she'd know, trust me! The last thing you'd ever want to deal with is an angry, Khontaran woman! Especially if said woman is our dear doctor!" Taal'ani warned.

"She's that fearsome?" Tahral wondered.

"Oh, I forgot. You've never seen her in combat, have you?" Taal'ani remembered.

"No, I have not. Is she scary?" Tahral asked.

"Why do you think your people refer to her as the 'War Goddess?'" she questioned while giving him a look.

"She gets like that with disobedient patients?" he asked with a gulp.

"She can be, if she feels the anger is warranted. When it comes to the care and recovery of her patients, nothing takes a higher priority. If anything or anyone were to interfere in said recovery..." Taal'ani just the idea hang there for Tahral to grasp. By the look on his face, he got the idea in a hurry.

"Ok then. Never piss of the doctor! Especially if she's a Khontaran!" Tahral stated.

"Smart boy. Now if you're still a little tired, you can go back to sleep. I'm just wanting to have some cuddles with you," Taal'ani told him as she burrowed into him.

"Just be careful! I'm still a little tender and Korsa said that the wound could open again," he warned.

"Will there be a scar?" she asked, while looking up at him.

"Yes. For a while at least," he told her, looking down at her.

"Then I'll be careful," she told him, moving her head until it rested more on his chest. Tahral smiled and laid his head back, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep once again. Taal'ani started drifting off fairly quickly herself, dreaming of all the naughty things she'd do with him when he healed up.

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Shazza and Kasumi had just gotten changed into their workout gear before stepping onto the mats to train. It had been a while since Shazza had done anything for her arms and was eager to get going. She was still a long way off from where she was and would need to work hard to get back to that shape. It would be a long climb, but the Xuul'khani woman was willing to put in the effort.

Kasumi walked out and started stretching her arms and everything else relevant. She didn't want to pull any muscles as she worked out, having pulled her fair share from before. She glanced over at Shazza, who was emulating her and smirked. The black-skinned woman was a surprise to her, in more ways than one. She was curious about what could surprise her, and an idea struck Kasumi just then.

"So, Shazza, I'm curious about something," Kasumi started.

"Yes, Kasumi?" Shazza replied.

"I'm just wondering what exactly it is about Alex that draws you in," the redheaded soldier asked.

"Uh... umm... daaaah..." Shazza sputtered, not usually caught off guard like this. Especially by someone who she didn't think could see her attraction to the large man.

"It's all right, Shazza. By the look on your face, I caught you a little flat-footed. Take your time and collect your thoughts," Kasumi soothed her. The tone of the human woman's voice surprised Shazza. She wasn't angry or accusatory, merely curious. Shazza did as Kasumi suggested, focused her mind and spoke when she had it together.

"Well, there were the obvious things, like how he made me howl like a beast in heat," Shazza admitted, blushing slightly.

"That would draw any woman in," Kasumi giggled. "What else?"

"His calm, yet commanding demeanor, his kind voice and how... he just makes a woman feel... safe," Shazza told her.

"All things that are also big draws," Kasumi interjected.

"But... my attraction to him has been... complicated," the Xuul'khani woman stated.

"Complicated? Complicated how?"

"Because I am also attracted to another," Shazza confessed.

"Another? Who is this other you are attracted to?" Kasumi asked in confusion. Shazza just stared at the woman, as though the answer should be obvious. Kasumi took a moment, but then realized what the woman was telling her.

"Me?!?" Kasumi questioned, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why me? I'm just a cold, cast iron bitch who breaks people."

"No, you're not," Shazza told her, scoffing at the notion. "The 'bitch', as you put it, is just the mask you wear, to keep people at arm's length. A mask which hides a gorgeous woman underneath that you let few people see."

Kasumi blinked and her mouth fell open at this, but Shazza continued on.

"I'm fairly certain that you've let Alex and Natalya see this side of you. You should let others see it as well, because you're beautiful," Shazza told her.

Kasumi was now thunderstruck at this revelation! Only Natalya had been able to read her so well, and that had been only because she wanted there to be no enmity between them! This here was something else entirely out of left field!

"You really think that?" Kasumi asked quietly.

"Yes, I do. Even when you were being a straight up bitch to me when I was your prisoner," Shazza chuckled. Kasumi joined her in her mirth, giggling at the memory.

"I was a bit of a bitch, wasn't I?" Kasumi winced.

"You had good reason to be. Considering what happened aboard the Perseus..." Shazza started.

"Yeah, but that was a different time, and you were a different person. A prisoner in your own body and you didn't even know it," Kasumi told her.

"I know, but I should have been able to fight back! I should have..." Shazza started, before she felt Kasumi draw her into a hug.

The gesture startled the Xuul'khani woman, and she hugged the human woman back, taking comfort from her. Though Shazza had come to terms with what she was and her freedom, parts of her still wished that she did something more. Fought back harder, figured her own way out, but she knew in her heart that it was futile. If it hadn't been for Korsa and her caring heart, she would have died a slave and never known.

The hug ended and Shazza looked up at the woman, her green eyes staring right into Kasumi's purple ones. They both blinked, then leaned into one another, their lips meeting halfway. The moment their lips made contact, passion exploded between them, like a supernova, annihilating their senses and overtaking their rational minds. The kiss became so much more, as they both felt an escalating need to not just kiss each other, but to have more.

"H... how..." Kasumi flubbed, trying to find the words as their kiss ended.

"More. I must have more!" Shazza purred as she kissed Kasumi again.

She pressed against the redhead's body, their chests heaving as they allowed passion to overtake them. Kasumi gave Shazza what she wanted and took what she desired in return. She then broke the kiss, drawing away from the Xuul'khani woman. Shazza whined in protest until Kasumi spoke her mind.

"Arm day first. Play time after," Kasumi told the woman with a devilish smirk. Shazza humphed and pouted but nodded in agreement. Building her strength back to proper levels would allow for some... creative things to happen. She followed along with Kasumi's movements in stretching, getting ready for the workout.

The two of them started easily, with Kasumi taking Shazza through the various exercises they'd be doing. Shazza found them easy enough to follow and went with the order that she felt would work best. Kasumi did her own workout routine, which differed from what Shazza was doing, but was no less effective. Both women worked themselves hard, needing that extra push to hit their limits.

Kasumi couldn't help but be slightly distracted by Shazza's movements. The Xuul'khani woman was a soldier, like her, but moved gracefully and without effort. She figured that must have been part of Shazza's training as an assassin, which oddly made her that much more alluring. The way she moved, which was a combination of lethal and sexy, left Kasumi's mouth watering.

Shazza couldn't help tossing sidelong glances at Kasumi either, as the brawny soldier differed greatly from what she was. Bronzed skin and red hair was something that did not exist among the Xuul'khan. Her physique was something that was also different, as it was a body type that was rarely seen among any aliens they had encountered. The fact that Kasumi had brought herself so close to physical perfection was amazing.

On top of which, there were few women who could be as fierce as Kasumi was. She had a strong determination and sense of loyalty that few among the Xuul'khan could have matched. The thing that made Kasumi stand out like this was the fact that she was doing so, willingly. After having discovered the level of control that was implanted into her mind, Shazza doubted that anyone could match Kasumi.

She had also seen the quick glances that the human woman had been tossing her way. It was heartening to know that the attraction between them wasn't one sided. Shazza smirked and put a little more wiggle into her movements, doing what she could to capture the woman's attention. She'd even made a few little moaning sounds here and there, which had Kasumi look her way more than once.

"Try not to enjoy yourself too much now," Kasumi snickered, catching onto Shazza's game.

She then started turning the tables on the alien woman, posing as provocatively as she could when doing her workouts. She'd seen the Xuul'khani woman glance at her more than once, licking her lips as she stared. Kasumi grinned as she kept the game going, each one of them trying to outdo the other.

"OK! Time to do a proper cool down," Kasumi declared, stretching her arms out more, before hopping onto a treadmill.

"A 'cool down' is where you keep your muscles moving, but let them do as little work as possible?" Shazza queried.

"That's right. You should do one too, if you're going to build anything in your arms," Kasumi suggested.

"I called it something different. 'Muscle rest' would be the best translation of what it meant," Shazza replied as she also jumped on a treadmill.

The pair of them set the pace for a light walk, moving their arms as they did so. Kasumi was so sweaty by the time the workout ended, that she had doffed her shirt, doing the cool down in her bra. Shazza couldn't help but stare at the mounds of jiggling flesh, less than three feet away. She smirked and upped the ante, removing her shirt to have Kasumi stare at her rack.

Kasumi's eyes darted over, getting more than an eyeful of Shazza's breasts. They were considerably larger than hers, and she wondered what her nipples looked like. She licked her lips unconsciously and kept her pace, not wanting to look like she was distracted. Before long, the cool down timer ended, and both women stopped with their machines, staring at one another.

Almost as though they were of one mind, they came together, kissing each other passionately. Kasumi could feel Shazza's hand pass the hem of her pants as it sought out her ass. Grinning inwardly, Kasumi reciprocated, moving her hands to find Shazza's muscular ass. The moment she had her hands on it, she gripped it hard and kneaded the pliable cheeks sensuously.

"Someone came here intending to get laid," Shazza smirked, realizing that Kasumi was wearing a thong.

"I'm not the only one," Kasumi grinned, pulling on one of Shazza's underwear straps, revealing that she was wearing a thong too.

"I like the way they feel and it's much easier to move around in one," Shazza admitted, while blushing slightly.