Project - Prometheus Ch. 27

A cheer went up among the security squads as they watched the pirates scurry for cover. There were some natural rock formations that gave them some suitable cover, but it wouldn't hold for long. Just as they arrived, the ship slowed down to where it was hovering, providing cover for the security teams.

A hydraulic hiss sounded, and three figures dropped out of the Darkstrider. Two of them landed gently on the ground, rocket packs flaring and slowing their descent. Both were armored and by the design of their armor, they were women. The ladies took flight and opened fire on the pirates, showing them no mercy. The way they moved through the air, their weapons spitting fire and thunder, they looked like avenging angels or Valkyrie.

The third figure landed with a thunderous crash, spraying dirt and plant matter everywhere. The moment he stood, he towered over everyone there, both fearsome and resplendent in his battlesuit. The man hefted a massive heavy machine gun in his gauntleted fists and aimed at the pirates. In seconds, hundreds of rounds peppered the landscape, cutting down pirates who weren't quick enough to dive for cover.

"Holy..." Fitch breathed as he witnessed the trio go to work, advancing on the entrenched pirates.

The pirates fired back, but they might as well have been using water pistols for all the good it did them. Their bullets bounced and ricocheted off the armor of the new arrivals, frustrating them. Their inability to do any damage to the flying soldiers or the juggernaut that advanced, terrified them. They kept firing, hoping to hurt them but fearful that they wouldn't.

"Attention, pirate crew of the crashed destroyer, this is your one chance to surrender. Lay down your arms and come out with your hands up and you will not be hurt," Alex called out as he ceased firing.

"Who the hell are you?" came a call from the pirate's positions.

"The man who has a seventy-caliber machine gun pointed in your direction, scum! I would advise you do as I ask!" Alex shouted, making his intent clear.

"Fuck you and screw off, you little pissant!" the pirate leader scoffed, breaking cover to shoot at Alex. He would have shot at him, but Alex took aim and fired, blasting the hand cannon right out of the pirate's hand. The pirate yelped in horror as his weapon was knocked out of his hand and he moved to draw another weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you! I shot your weapon from your hand at one hundred and ten meters with this beast, and I didn't miss. Do you think I'll miss if I decide to shoot your dick off? Continue to resist and we will show no mercy! What is your answer? You have fifteen seconds to comply!" Alex called out, his suit speakers carrying the offer on the wind.

Before the fifteen seconds were up, the pirates filtered out each one of them with their hands held high, even the loudmouth. Each pirate looked fearful of Alex and his ladies, but did as they were told, hoping they'd honor their word. Kasumi and Natalya flew around behind them, ensuring that they weren't laying a trap. The women kept circling, giving the pirates no chance to pull anything.

"Anything?" Alex asked over his suit comms.

"Negative, sir. This is all that remains of the pirate crew that was fighting against the security teams," Kasumi informed him.

"Very good. Darkstrider, drop on in and let's get these soldiers and prisoners aboard," Alex told Inari.

"Aye, sir!" Inari replied before she brought the ship down onto the surface. Though the firefight was over, Alex kept his weapon leveled, ready to use it at a moment's notice. He turned to the security captain as the man walked up to him, a grateful smile on his face.

"I don't know who you guys are, but thanks for pulling our bacon out of the fire!" Karl grinned.

"You're most welcome, Captain Fitch. Alexander Dragic, tactical officer aboard the Darkstrider," Alex said by way of introduction. "Any casualties among your squad?"

"We left a few guys behind that were too wounded to move, but everyone is still alive. Think we could get them and bring them back to the villa?" Fitch asked.

"Why not the station?" Alex asked.

"The villas have a fully equipped clinic, ready to go at a moment's notice. We haven't had to make much use of it, but we've kept it fully stocked on the off chance we did. This is one of those times where it is needed," Karl informed the titanic man.

"Understood. Ladies, get everyone aboard and let's get moving. There are wounded in the field that require medical attention!" Alex barked.

"Aye, aye!" the women chirped before mushing the prisoners in, with Fitch's soldiers monitoring the pirates.

Within a minute, they were airborne and landed by the wounded squads a few minutes later. Powell was in rough shape but still conscious, as was the same with Jones, but Remus kept them going. Natalya and Kasumi helped him out with getting the wounded aboard, and they were off to the villas in less than five minutes. Korsa then stepped up to aid Remus in caring for the wounded men, for which he was thankful.

"Thanks for coming down to lend a hand! Wasn't sure if Powell and Jones would've made it long enough to get proper medical attention!" Remus called out, thanking the crew for their aid.

"Don't worry about it, soldier! We've all been in tight spots! We're just glad to help with this one!" Kasumi responded, smiling at the man as she minded the prisoners.

"Corporal Remus! Here!" Korsa called out, tossing him a medgel pack.

"Holy shit! Khontaran medgel?!? This shit is crazy expensive!" Remus replied in shock as he caught the pack of medicine.

"And it's your friends' best chance of getting back on their feet! You get Jones, I'll work on Powell!" the Khontaran woman told him.

"Yes, ma'am!" Remus saluted. He used the pack's dispenser, squeezing generous dollops of the gel on Jones' wounds. It went to work immediately, cleansing and sealing off the wounds that the man had sustained.

"Re-Remus?" Jones breathed weakly, feeling better already.

"Hang tight, buddy! We got some medgel working on your wounds right now. Give it enough time and you'll be right as rain. I promise!" the Fel'caan man told his friend.

It was maybe another ten minutes before the Darkstrider arrived at the villas, landing at a clearing just outside of the settlement. The medical team was standing by and rushed aboard to get Powell and Jones to the clinic to get them patched up. Fitch and his squad escorted the prisoners off the ship, marching them to the guard post, where a brig waited for the men.

"Sergeant Deak?" Fitch called out.

"Right here, sir! If a little worse for wear," the man winced as he shuffled up to his captain.

"What happened to you?" Fitch asked, his face full of concern as he saw the sergeant's bandaged head.

"Sniper round went right through my ear. Took off a good chunk of it. I'm just glad it wasn't my head!" Deak chuckled weakly.

"So am I! What happened here?" Fitch asked.

"We'd like to know that as well. Some of our crew took the civilian tour down here and we'd like to be sure they're OK," Inari stated, as she walked up with her crew.

Alex, Kasumi and Natalya had left their battle armor on, having a feeling they might need it. They listened as Deak gave his report on what happened and how the prisoner situation was reversed. Fitch was wide eyed upon hearing of a live Xuul'khan walking among them. He was even more surprised to learn that the woman had put herself in harm's way to save innocents.

"It's what Shazza does," Alex stated as he turned to face the soldiers.

"Wait, she's one of yours?!?" Sergeant Deak asked, eyes going wide in shock.

"Yes. It's a long story, but she's not like the Xuul'khan we were all taught about in school," Inari told them.

"Where is she?" Korsa asked, her eyes searching for the woman.

"She's been sequestered by orders of Sergeant Cullen. They're holding her in one of the shops right now," Sergeant Deak told them.

"Take us to her, now!" Alex growled. The sergeant gulped and flicked his eyes to the captain, who nodded his assent.

"This way," the sergeant gestured nervously as he led the group to the shop.

They didn't have to go far, as the shop in question was less than a hundred meters off. The shop in question was cordoned off by a wall of security personnel, which kept anyone from entering. Some tourists were milling around, while others looked outraged at what was going on. The Artucian were among the crowd and turned, sensing the approach of the party.

"Korsa! Alex! Natalya!" Luminia called out as she, Aesha and Tahral rushed to them.

"Lumi! What's happened??" Korsa queried, worry creasing her beautiful face.

"These... security men, they took Shazza! They're holding her in there and Taal'ani too!" Luminia wailed.

"What?!? Why the fuck would they take Taal'ani?" Kasumi seethed.

"Because she fought against security and told them to leave Shazza alone. That man there told us if we didn't obey, we'd join them!" Aesha supplied, looking like she was ready for a fight.

"I'll deal with this!" Captain Fitch growled. "Soldiers, stand down! The pirate threat has abated! Return to your posts and resume your regular duties!"

Some soldiers went wide eyed upon hearing their captain's voice, before scrambling to obey him. The man who gave the order for Shazza to be sequestered looked at these men venomously, before barking his own command.

"Belay that order! Get back to the posts I've assigned you! We have a dangerous fugitive to keep under lock and key!" the man shouted.

"Sergeant Cullen, stand down! Last I checked, I outrank your ass, so you follow your orders, or I'll have you detained for insubordination!" Captain Fitch yelled. Some soldiers stared at Fitch for a moment, before shifting sides to stand with him instead of Cullen.

"I will not give that order, nor follow that order! That... woman inside, her and her co-conspirator, will be sent to the UCW and treated as the spy that she is!" Sergeant Cullen argued.

"You lying dershou'khat!" (piece of shit!) Korsa roared, drawing and brandishing her Thuun'tara blade, making the tourists scatter in fear. Some guards fingered their weapons nervously, unsure of what to do. None had faced a Khontaran before, and the stories of their ferocity were well known among all sentient races.

"She's not a spy! Shazza is part of my crew and if you think she's a spy, then you'll have to bring us in too!" Inari shouted, drawing her sidearms and pointing them at the sergeant.

"Where is your proof sergeant?? What proof do you have that she's a spy?" Captain Fitch growled, furious with his subordinate.

"Her being here is proof enough!" the sergeant yelled.

"Bullshit! You just want the bounty that's on her head!" Sergeant Deak shot back.

"Quiet yourself, Deak! I am acting with the full authority of Galactic law, which supersedes your orders, captain. So, I will continue to confine the prisoner and her cohort as I see fit," Cullen sneered.

"Galactic law authorizes you to take any Xuul'khan into custody, when they have been found acting against the interest of the UCW. Shazza didn't attack anyone here, except for the pirates, which makes the law you are trying to uphold, irrelevant!" Luminia shouted, catching the man's attention.

"Shut up, bitch!" Cullen shouted as he leveled his rifle at Luminia.

Korsa roared and swung her sword, batting the rifle out of the sergeant's grip. The other five men who stood with Cullen pointed their weapons at the woman but held their fire. Cullen drew his sidearm at his hip and pointed it at Korsa, almost hoping she'd try that again, but fearful that she wouldn't give him the chance. None of them wanted to anger the woman further, especially since she'd disarmed their leader so easily.

"Try that again and you'll be picking up your guts off the ground," Korsa threatened.

"Enough! Sergeant Cullen, this is your final warning! Stand down, immediately!" Fitch argued, his hand on his sidearm.

"Captain Fitch, sir! I have proof that Sergeant Cullen is lying to you about this matter!" Deak stated, inserting himself in the matter.

"Be silent!" Cullen roared.

"Fuck you! I'm done staying silent just because you outrank me you lying little shit! Sir, with your permission, I'd like to initiate the playback of my armor cam," Sergeant Deak stated, addressing Captain Fitch.

"Do that and I'll have your commission for this!" Cullen threatened. A shot was then fired, barely missing his head as it imbedded itself in the wall. Lieutenant Torres stood right next to her captain, holding the hand cannon that fired the shot.

"Daddy isn't around to protect your little ass anymore. Any more outbursts like that and I'll put you down myself. I'll happily face the consequences only because I'm past done letting a snarky, arrogant little prick like you, act like he owns the fucking planet," Torres told him calmly.

"Permission granted, sergeant. Play me your armor cam footage," Karl told Deak.

Smiling as he nodded, Sergeant Deak tapped his armor vest, displaying the footage for all to see. He rewound it to the beginning of the encounter with the pirates, how the guards surrendered to spare the little girl, everything. Fitch was astounded when he saw what happened with Shazza and how she went through the pirates like they were nothing. The recording ended with how Cullen and five of his men took Shazza into custody, despite the protests of Jennifer and Maisie and how they took Taal'ani too.

"Sergeant Cullen, you and your men are under arrest for unlawful confinement, threatening a superior officer and insubordination. Take them," Karl ordered his soldiers.

"You can't do this to me! I'm a Cullen!" the man shouted as his weapon was taken from him and he was placed in handcuffs.

"You family name won't save you, nor does it excuse your behavior! Lock him and his co-conspirators up with the pirates. I'll deal with them later," Karl rumbled.

Lieutenant Torres was more than happy to do so, as displayed by her toothy grin. Many other soldiers with Fitch either smirked or smiled, all of them of the same opinion as Torres was. Cullen had always been a whiny little shit since the first day he got there, but always knew enough to not push things too far.

Many had advocated for his removal, but it required a serious infraction for that to happen. Now, they had one, which would be all but impossible for him to wriggle out of. Sergeant Deak moved to the door and opened it, letting Korsa through, as she moved to fetch her friend and lover. She came out not even a minute later, with Shazza and Taal'ani in tow, both women looking no worse for wear.

"Taal'ani!" Tahral cried out as he rushed to his woman, scooping her up in his arms. Talon cried into his arms, happy to be held again. Shazza was hugged up by both Kasumi and Natalya, blubbering into them.

"Captain Sunara? I believe you owe me an explanation," Karl stated as he directed his guards to go through with cleaning everything up and helping the staff and guests and taking their statements.

"Looks like you may not be the only person looking for one!" Inari commented as she pointed up at the sky. Dropping out of the atmosphere in their descent to the ground was a cluster of beings that soared on the wind. The best way to describe them was bird-people, and they trilled, hooted and called out to one another as they neared the villa.

"What are the Ooantahl doing here?" Karl wondered.

"Ooantahl? The natives?" Alex questioned.

"Yeah. Normally, with events like this, they fly by to see what the commotion is about, then go on their way. Something's got them riled though," Fitch replied as he watched them get closer.

The soldiers and the tourists watched as the bird-people came closer, eventually landing among Fitch, his men and the crew of the Darkstrider. One of the Ooantahl approached, as his dress and bearing marked him as a leader of some kind. His beak moved in some kind of rudimentary fashion as it spoke in hoots, trills and clicks. Seeing it open like it did was a little terrifying for the crew, never having seen an Ooantahl before. Fitch replied in the language, addressing to the Ooantahl.

"You can speak their language?" Alex asked, stunned and impressed.

"Yeah. It took me a while to speak it, though. This is Corvaillen, the spiritual leader of the Ooantahl. Much like a Shaman, so to speak. He and these warriors have come here looking for..." he looked back at the Shaman and asked a question, before turning back to the crew. "He says they're looking for the... 'Lightworker'. That this Lightworker is a 'she'."

"I... think he might be... speaking about me," Shazza interjected timidly.

"I think you're right. He's speaking of someone who came down here, before the pirate attack. A she who wields great power and must be told of that which was... left behind?" Fitch translated. The group stared at Shazza in surprise, and she blinked in surprise.

"He... knew I was coming?" Shazza asked disbelievingly.

"Not knew per se. More like he... sensed you were on your way here. That you'd be setting foot on Veldhern and that he needed to meet with you," Fitch translated.

"What does he want?" Korsa queried, taking a protective step towards her lover.

"Corvaillen wants Shazza to go with him. He has something that she needs to see and he's insistent that she goes with him," Fitch told the crew. Some warriors hooted and trilled in annoyance, but Corvaillen kept them in line.

"We'll go with them, as long as they're not opposed to us accompanying her," Inari told the security captain.

"Corvaillen says that will be acceptable. He's insisting you go now, saying that Shazza needs to know about what they've been guarding," Fitch told them.

"The Ooantahl... are guarding something? What is it?" Inari questioned.

"Corvaillen won't say. He says that this is only for the Lightworker to know," Fitch told the crew.

"Whatever it is, it must be important! We should get going!" Priya stated, curious about what the Ooantahl were guarding.

"Are you coming with us, Captain Fitch?" Alex asked.

"I can't. I have too much business to attend to. But here, I can give you a way to communicate with the Ooantahl," he said, pulling out a small holographic device. He activated it and cycled through several programs before he found the correct one.

"The language program for the Ooantahl, so you will be able to speak to them," he said, sending them a copy of the program.

"Much appreciated, captain!" Korsa told him, before the rest of the crew adjourned to their ship. The Ooantahl followed them before they took flight, circling the ship as it lifted off. A few moments later, it was off, with the Ooantahl leading it away from the villas, heading deeper inland. Fitch smiled as he turned back to his soldiers, directing them back to their posts.

"Pardon me, sir, but was it really wise to just... let them go like that?" Sergeant Deak asked.

"I learned a while ago that when the Ooantahl ask you to do something, you accommodate them as best as you can. Especially when the Shaman is involved," Fitch told his subordinate.

Karl then remembered when he was among the first wave who touched down on Veldhern during its liberation. His mission was simple, eradicate all pirates with extreme prejudice. They had arrived while the pirates had attacked the Ooantahl, thinking they were just dumb primitives. What they didn't know was that these 'primitives', could do things that no one had seen or believed.

He witnessed firsthand, Corvaillen, tap into some sort of mystical power, to create a shield to keep his people safe. The pirate's weapons had zero effect and gave the UCW marines time to step in and drive them off. Corvaillen's assistance had been instrumental in driving the Syndicate offworld so quickly. If they hadn't had the help of the Ooantahl, it would have been months before the underworld scum was driven off the planet.