Project - Prometheus Ch. 25

Slipping a pair of black baggy pants and a white T-shirt on, Alex left the women in his quarters. They looked so happy and peaceful, lying together like that. He padded out quietly, so he wouldn't wake them with his footfalls. Alex smirked to himself as he recounted the events of the past few hours.

Natalya and Kasumi had been voracious in their desire of him. So much so that they double teamed him relentlessly until he had unloaded his seed into each woman at least once. Natalya had gotten it twice and Kasumi would have as well, but she wanted to try something... kinky. Alex was only too happy to agree, as it had blown his mind to such a level that even his inner beast was quiet.

He took the elevator to the Second Deck, and he ambled over to the galley. Walking in, he made a beeline for the coffeemaker and set up a pot of the steaming black liquid. Alex sat there and waited for the machine to perk, with the squelching sound finishing nearly twenty minutes later. As steam poured from the spout, he disconnected the machine and poured himself a cup.

After fixing it the way he liked it, Alex moved along to the conference area of the bridge, yawning as he went. He thought he'd take a gander and see just how far out they were from Veldhern. He'd been out for a while and figured they had to be close. He brought up the holo map of the area they were crossing through. With a quick glance, he saw they were at least ninety minutes from arriving in the system.

Seeing as how it might be a bit before the rest of the ship came awake, Alex took a seat and sipped his coffee. He took a deep breath and smiled to himself, thinking about the whole sequence of events that led him here. Many of these events weren't pleasant, and some were downright horrifying, but everything seemed to fall into place. Almost like it was part of some grand cosmic plan that he still had yet to see.

"Having trouble sleeping?" a feminine voice called out softly. Turning his head, Alex saw Taal'ani approaching, wearing loose fitting lounge clothes. He smirked and turned in his chair to face her.

"Not really. I'm well rested enough that my body won't be in need of any extra sleep for a while yet," he grinned.

"Lucky you! I still have a shit ton of sleep to get caught up on. Whenever I can sleep," she muttered.

"Or do you mean whenever Tahral will let you sleep?" he quipped with a pump of his eyebrows. Taal'ani shot him a dirty look, but the big man just chuckled as he sipped on his drink.

"Oh, hush you!" Taal'ani yowled.

"You know I'm right, just admit it," Alex teased.

"Is there any more coffee?" the Fel'caan woman asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'll tell you, if you admit I'm right," the big man smirked. Taal'ani rolled her eyes and let him have this one. After all, he had caught her flat-footed with that comment, so in that sense, he was correct.

"Fine, you were right! Now, coffee, please?" she asked.

"In the galley. Just brewed a fresh pot, so it should still be hot," he told her.

In almost no time at all, Taal'ani zipped out of the room. She was gone for all of five minutes, before returning with her own cup of java. Alex noted that she had more pep in her step after a few sips and smiled, knowing that she needed the boost. He took a sip of his own coffee before he started talking again.

"So, you have a good time with your boy?" Alex asked with a smirk.

"It was cuddle time only, per Korsa's orders as a doctor. But in answer to your question, yeah, I had a nice time with him," Taal'ani said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Orders from the Doctor? I can only imagine what would have happened had you defied said orders," Alex chuckled.

"Trust me when I say, you don't want to know what happens," Taal'ani replied with a grimace. "Though the smile on your face is evidence enough to what you've been up to. Then there is the smell, which confirms it."

"Smell?"

"Yeah. One thing that many people don't understand is that each living being carries their own sense of smell. It is a unique scent that can't be duplicated, anywhere. No matter the advances in technology, the smell of one person will always be something that is theirs alone," Taal'ani informed him.

"And this is relevant, how?" Alex wondered.

"Natalya and Kasumi. I could smell their scent on you from a mile away. Among other parts of you that... carry their scent," Taal'ani snickered.

"You can smell that?" Alex asked in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

"Very little gets by the nose of a Fel'caan woman," she replied, tapping her nose proudly.

"Can you distinguish between fresh and old scents?" Alex wondered, now curious about the woman's sense of smell.

"That we can! With us, it also takes a while before the scent fades, even with soap and water. That's why we are great hunters back on Bastellian. More so than the men, which is something they don't really talk about."

"Why is that?" Alex queried.

"Male pride and ego. Need I say more on the topic?" Taal'ani asked, shooting him an annoyed look.

"Hmm! I guess there are some things among men that never change," Alex grunted.

"You got that right!" Taal'ani nodded.

"One thing I can say is how very little that gets by me with other aspects of people," he said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm just curious. How long will it be before you admit your feelings for Tahral?" he said, speaking plainly.

"Feelings?" she asked, confused.

"Love, Taal'ani. The love you feel for that boy. It's painted all over your face, plain as day," Alex told her.

"Love? Who has time for that?" she scoffed while making an 'I don't think so' face.

"We all do and should make time for that emotion in our lives. Without it, what are we but bags of meat, working on primal instinct?" Alex questioned. "Besides, I have seen some examples of you mooning over that boy more than once."

"Oh, really?" she asked sarcastically.

"There was that first time you were with him, when you came back to the drop ship on Talemkha. The time when you insisted he come along to the Ark, despite there being other, more suitable choices to help with restoring its systems. Also, let's not forget how you were close to tears when you saw him get clipped by that Blood Drinker leader. Then there was the very public display of wanting to help Korsa, despite having no prior medical experience. Shall I go on?" the big man asked.

"No, no, you've made your point," Taal'ani replied, the smug sarcasm now replaced by absolute shock.

"If you're wondering how I noticed all of this, the answer is simple. I didn't get to the rank of Captain in the Human Systems Alliance before forty by being stupid. You learn to adapt and keep track of your crew, and what they're up to. It is a commanding officer's responsibility to know his subordinates from head to toe and what makes them tick," he told her as he finished his mug of coffee.

"Hmph!" Taal'ani grunted as she took a draw from her own mug.

Outwardly, she looked unperturbed, but inside, she was wracking her brain about how Alex figured her out! Not the least of which, he cited examples of how she was acting towards Tahral! It defied all expectation and belief, but he had read her like a book! The catgirl had to admit, though, that everything lined up, and it all made sense. She was falling for the Artucian man, and hard! But he wasn't the only observant one.

"You know, as much as you like to read people, you seem to either ignore or be oblivious to certain things," Taal'ani jibed.

"What do you mean?"

"I know that both Kas and Nats are mooning over your ass. But they're not the only ones," she said with a sly wink.

"Could you please speak plainly? The caffeine hasn't fully hit me just yet, and I might just be having a brain fart," Alex asked politely.

"There are other women here who want you the same way that both Natalya and Kasumi do. I'm surprised that you haven't noticed this yet," Taal'ani told him.

"Other women? Who?" Alex asked, looking a little disturbed and slightly intrigued.

"You'll find out soon enough," Taal'ani giggled.

Alex was just about to push a little, to see if the Fel'caan woman would let anything slip, but two of the crew just walked in. It was Inari and Priya, both of whom looked a little bedraggled. They both had a steaming cup of coffee in their hands and had some serious bedhead going. Their rumpled appearance had Alex snickering and Taal'ani giggling.

"Well, I'd say you two had some fun," Alex chuckled as he finished his coffee.

"Judging by the way you're walking Priya, looks like Inari was a little rough with you," Taal'ani laughed.

"My ass is sore and so is my quim, my nips hurt like someone stuck needles in them, I'm running on endorphins and caffeine, my skin feels like it's on fire, and it was totally worth it!" Priya stated with a wan smile.

Taal'ani choked on her coffee and some of it squirted out her nose as she laughed. Seeing that display had everyone cracking up and even Alex had to sit down, he was laughing so hard. The catgirl reached for a napkin and wiped her face off from the hot beverage. Once she was reasonably cleaned, she stood up to get herself more coffee when Alex stood up.

"I'll get it. I could use another cup myself," he said, gesturing with his hand.

Taal'ani smiled and handed the big man her cup, and he left them in the room as he headed down to the galley. Alex returned a few minutes later with both cups in one hand, while he carried cream and sugar in the other. After depositing the items on the table, he handed Taal'ani her coffee, and she got right to prepping it as she liked.

"I hope that you put another pot on, as it's going to be a long day," Inari told him, seeming a little more awake now.

"I ran into Korsa just as I got to the galley, and she emptied the rest of the pot," Alex replied with a chuckle. "So, I put two more on and they should be perking nicely right about now."

Seconds after he finished speaking, Korsa walked into the area, wearing some casual pyjamas and slippers. In her hands was a large coffee mug, which all four of her hands were wrapped around, keeping her fingers warm. It almost appeared to be the size of a small pot and had the words 'Bean Me' written on it in stylish lettering. Alex couldn't help but chuckle at this as he took a sip of his coffee.

"What?" Korsa asked grumpily.

"Nothing. Just seems like someone likes their coffee," Alex replied, trying to keep the grin off his face.

"I don't 'like' coffee. I LOVE it! One of the best things humans could have brought with them from Earth all those centuries ago!" Korsa stated.

"I'm guessing that coffee is a hot commodity out in the galaxy?" Alex wondered.

"It's one of the few things from Earth that humans don't have a monopoly on. Various races have their own versions of this drink, but none that are quite so aromatic or flavorful. It's become something of a staple in diets of other races," Korsa told him.

"So, other races grow their own coffee beans?" Kasumi asked as she ambled up behind the big woman.

"They do. Some are better strains, others are lesser, depending on what each species can tolerate," Korsa replied.

"Hmm! I will have to try out some of these other strains once we find a vendor that sells some!" Alex said with a smile.

"There were vendors back on Seerahn station. I was trying to head in that direction, but we got ambushed," Natalya groused as she joined her lovers in the room. Not even thirty seconds later, the remainder of the crew joined them, including Tahral, who had recovered from his injury, but was still babying his arm.

"Blame that on the gangers trying to claim the bounties on Talon's and Korsa's heads. Hopefully, we can avoid such... 'inconveniences' at Veldhern?" Alex asked.

"Veldhern station is tightly patrolled and highly regulated. Nothing and no one gets into the station without security knowing about it. No gang related activity is permitted and neither are bounty hunters looking to collect bounties on visitors or residents. Anything that is found of that manner results in immediate incarceration and/or lifelong expulsion from the planet," Inari explained.

"Sounds like they want to keep the station and planet scum free!" Kasumi commented.

"That they do. With the value of the medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds that come from naturally occurring plants on Veldhern, there is much money to be made! The United Coalition of Worlds are fiercely protective of what they are trying to rebuild. They want nothing that could disrupt that forming on the station they have there. They have enough trouble with pirates as it is," Inari went on.

"Pirates attack the station and planet?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah. Medicinal and pharmaceutical supplies of that potency? It's rarely seen out in the known galaxy, even from the most advanced technologies. Hell, even Khontaran medgel has been vastly improved by the addition of several compounds that come from Veldhern," Korsa said over her coffee mug.

"I would assume they have a defense fleet in place to deal with the pirate attacks and raids?" Alex wondered.

"Three fleets. The first fleet holds position around Veldhern at all times, scanning and investigating all merchant traffic. The second fleet is usually on patrol around the system, keeping an eye out for any intruders. The third fleet, they're further afield, usually in adjacent systems, keeping an eye out for any bases forming under their noses," Priya supplied.

"Yikes! That's a lot of firepower just to protect one planet!" Alex commented.

"When this planet holds plants with healing properties, whose extracts and organic compounds are worth thousands of credits for a single dose? Then yeah, you'd want to keep it protected. Especially since the battle that nearly destroyed the planet," Natalya interjected.

"How was the planet nearly destroyed?" Kasumi asked, her curiosity on Veldhern piqued.

"The idea of it came from the Sshka'talth Crime Syndicate. They were the ones who initially discovered the planet and made landfall on it. It wasn't long before they learned of the healing properties of various plants from the Ooantahl," Inari started.

"Ooantahl?" Alex wondered.

"The native species of the planet. They are avian in appearance and nature, with a very tribal like way of life. Despite the various advances made available to them, they choose to keep their simple lives. As long as the visitors were respectful of the tribes and the lands they occupied, there was no trouble with them. The Syndicate was smart enough to honor that deal."

"Of course, a planet with such potent natural compounds that could be formed into lifesaving medicine? I'm guessing that it didn't take long for word to leak out about it," Kasumi surmised.

"No, it did not. It was mainly smugglers and other pirates who wanted their own cut of this place, but since the Syndicate was here first, they had to defer to them. The fact that they also had a constant presence around the planet deterred anyone from getting too greedy. It wasn't until the Sorkathi Reavers showed up that everything went to shit."

"Hearing of the potency of the medicines that could be harvested from Veldhern, the Reavers thought it would be the perfect place to take for themselves and integrate it into their war machine," Inari went on. Seeing the confused looks on some of the crew's faces, she clarified.

"Sorkathi Reavers are a brutal and warlike race, who make war on anyone. The tougher the fight, the more they want it. They feel that the whole galaxy is their testing ground, and they are destined to emerge victorious over all other races and creeds," Inari explained, which cleared the confusion. Understanding lit up everyone's faces, and she continued.

"The moment the Reavers arrived, it was all out war between them and the Syndicate. Though the Syndicate had the numbers, the Reavers were elite warriors, who were feared throughout the galaxy. The invading force was substantial enough to give the Syndicate one hell of a fight. In the end though, the Syndicate's technological advantage over the Reavers won the day."

"Even though they had won this engagement, they knew that the Reavers would be back, and in greater numbers. Plus, word had gotten out about Veldhern to the rest of the galaxy by this point, so other entities were making their plays. Soon, it would be an all out rush to Veldhern and it was only a matter of time before others came to make their claim on this world."

"The Syndicate was running on borrowed time and they knew it. They wanted to keep what they had found and tried growing plants off world. It didn't work, as there was something in the soil itself that gave the plants their healing qualities. Try as they might, the Syndicate couldn't replicate it. That's when one of them hit up on the bright idea of trying to take some of the world with them."

"Their entire plan was simple; find the places that grew plants that were the most profitable and blow that chunk off the planet. They set charges and mining equipment, which were doing just that and had succeeded to some extent. During this time, there was no sanctioned control over Veldhern just yet," Inari said, telling the story.

"The Sshka'talth Crime Syndicate did everything they could to keep their pillaging of Veldhern a secret. Though they had trade deals with smaller groups of smugglers and mercenaries, those deals were called off. Mostly because the Reavers had decimated the fleet they had stationed there, and it would take some time to gather enough ships to defend Veldhern."

"What the Syndicate didn't know was that their hold over the planet would soon end. One of the mercenary groups that they had dealt with was actually a survey team, sent but the Unified Coalition of Worlds. They had been sent to investigate and conduct tests on the flora and fauna of Veldhern, to see if it was as powerful as they were rumored to be. The tests were off the charts and they sent an expeditionary fleet to take control of the planet."

"The moment the fleet arrived is when the Syndicate executed their plan. They detonated their charges, taking sizable pieces of the surface with them. They didn't hold on to them for very long, as the fleet intercepted their ships. A firefight ensued, and the Syndicate had no choice but to abandon the planet. But the leader of the Syndicate had set several large groups of explosives on the planet."

"Because they couldn't hold Veldhern, the idea was to take what they could and hope it would grow as it had on the planet. Once they had enough, they would detonate the charges on the world, turning a once beautiful paradise into a scorching wasteland."

"They would devastate a whole damn planet, just because they couldn't hold control over it? All over the ability to grow plants with medicinal properties that couldn't be replicated?" Alex asked, his voice incredulous.

"That was the long and short of it, yeah. Thankfully, most of those charges were never detonated, as during the firefight, the UCW annihilated the command ship of the Syndicate. The rest of the Syndicate surrendered and told the UCW of what was happening on the surface. Thankfully, the UCW acted fast and sent techs down planetside to disarm the bombs."

"With the planet secure, the UCW then set up shop there, after reaching out to several terraforming and pharmaceutical companies to help with the efforts to claim and rebuild the planet. The Ooantahl were leery of the UCW's motives, but after a while, any potential hostilities have since calmed down. With the planet being rebuilt and their way of life remaining largely undisturbed, the Ooantahl soon welcomed the UCW's help."

"Since then, Veldhern has been well protected, as the steady stream of medical supplies from the planet has been a Godsend for people who suffer from rare and deadly diseases. Many contagions and forms of bacteria that have made their way through the galaxy are now nearly eradicated. All thanks to the United Coalition of Worlds."