Project - Prometheus Ch. 28

"Tahrkein, on the other hand, are capable of using the deeper levels of the Aether's power. Thus, their power often dwarfs the Daskein, to the point where they are seen as... insignificant," Jaesa explained.

"Is there anything about why the type of Aether we use is a different color?" Alex questioned, asking something that was on everyone's mind.

"I haven't discovered anything about that yet, but I've only seen a fraction of the paintings and writings in the Ooantahl caves. From what little I've seen about those who used the Aether with color like yours, there was nothing but awe a reverence to those who could do so. The hermit knew nothing of differing colors, but he did know this much about the Aether. If he was to progress beyond being a Daskein, then he needed to do one thing, that he details he could not do," Jaesa continued.

"Which was what?" Aesha queried.

"Surrender. Not to his enemies, but to the power he wielded, so that it could flow through him more naturally. To give into such power, to allow it to flow through you as it should, is what gives you greater command over it. Much like a partnership, it is about trust. Trust that the power will not wash you away, burn you out or take control of you. To bare everything you are before it and allow it to align with who you are," the AI went on.

"He could not do that?" Luminia inquired.

"No. He was obsessed with controlling the Aether and hated the idea of letting it control him. He wanted greater power but was against sacrificing control to gain it. Which is why he was so excited when he stumbled upon the staff in the hold of one of the ships that fell to Talemkha. He searched the holds of those ships he could find for any artifacts that were related to the Aether. His notes are unclear if he searched every ship," Jaesa stated.

"Sounds like we'll have to make a return trip to Talemkha then!" Alex replied. Aesha and Luminia were excited by this prospect, but Tahral looked a bit... uneasy. Jaesa thought this was curious, before she gave them the most important piece of news for the night.

"There is one other thing that I've found in the hermit's notes and which is referenced in the Ooantahl paintings," Jaesa told everyone, focusing their attention back on her. She then raised her arms and the holographic projectors she had built into her hands activated. The image was a starmap, which detailed various planets and systems, leaving everyone curious.

"This is a map of every world which the Primes either visited, or colonized during their time," Jaesa said, clearing everyone's confusion.

"The hermit had such a map?!?" Natalya blurted out.

"How??? How is it possible that he came into its possession?!?" Luminia gawped. A throng of other questions flooded from everyone there, nearly overwhelming her. Jaesa could have answered, but waited for them all to calm down before proceeding.

"This map was among the relics he had salvaged from one of the wrecks in the Dead Snows. But for anyone who has noticed, the map is incomplete. Much of where these worlds were, along with their location at the time, is missing," the AI told everyone, gesturing to missing data that showed the map only as a fragment of what it was.

"Looks like we'll be making more trips to see the Ooantahl then," Kasumi guessed.

"Indeed! If there're references to other worlds the Primes had visited, then we might find their locations among the paintings!" Inari replied, snapping her fingers as she put the pieces together.

"There's also whatever my descendants might have. I don't disagree with learning what we can from the Ooantahl, but there's also what Analisa had left behind to our children," Alex replied, his desire to get to Prodosia apparent.

"We'll get there Alex, don't worry. Whatever Analisa left behind, we'll find it and your descendants," Natalya reassured him.

"Thanks, Nats. I know I'm coming across as a bit impatient, but can you blame me?" he asked.

"Wanting to find the last bit of family that you have left? I can't blame you at all," Shazza said to him as she smiled at him, knowing what it was to lose everyone you could call family. Natalya seconded that opinion, having lost her family long ago.

"At least we now have a path forward. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think some sleep would do us good. We have a busy week ahead, with research, learning and the like," Inari stated as she rose to her feet.

"Doesn't mean we can't have some fun while we're here," Taal'ani replied with a smirk while eyeing Tahral.

"True. We are technically on vacation, so we should enjoy ourselves while we're here," Alex agreed. "But I think some sleep would be in order."

"Hope you're not too sleepy," Natalya told him mischievously.

"We saw just how... enthusiastic you were with these two. Think you got enough starch in you for some more? Sir?" Kasumi asked in a cute pout. Alex answer was to scoop up Kasumi, while Natalya bounded to her feet, as Alex chased after her.

"I'm not missing this!" Korsa smirked as she ran after the laughing trio. Shazza was on her heels, of the same mind on not wanting to miss a good show.

"I guess that concludes tonight's meeting then?" Inari asked Jaesa.

"There is something else, but it can wait until morning Inari. Get yourselves some rest and I'll inform you about it over breakfast," Jaesa replied.

"I'll try not to keep you up too late," Priya whispered to her girlfriend, which left Inari all smiles. Jaesa smiled as she watched the crew depart for their villas, knowing that the knowledge of the shuttle could wait for now.

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

Graham Williams was going over the day's reports on the systems of the Dauntless. Much of it had been in line with what he was expecting, and the damage the battleship had sustained was minimal. Though the day itself had been one he would remember for a while. He was still trying to get over his shock that the crew of the Darkstrider was part of a new initiative and headed by an officer that should have been hundreds of years dead!

He'd gone over the tech specs for the weapons and comms blueprints they'd received, and he was blown away. This new tech would not only give them superior hitting power when engaging enemies, but the comms tech would allow them to send signals at a much faster rate! Instead of taking hours to reach command, reports could arrive in a matter of minutes!

Graham was still mulling over the myriad of possibilities when he received a message from his subdermal implant. He saw the message in his eye, which was a simple line, but a troubling one: 'Omega Protocol activated. Meeting requested by Operative Aguilar. Priority One Emergency!' Graham was shocked that such a message had been sent, but he figured that it must be important if it was this level of trouble.

"Hey Graham, you OK mate?" one of his junior officers asked.

"I'm all right, Lieutenant Tahrno. Just spaced out there for a moment. It's been a long ass day," Graham fibbed. Tahrno smiled sympathetically, knowing that it had been a long ass day, even though it felt like it had been much longer than that.

"Why don't you go and get yourself some rest, sir? You've been working like a dog today and you look a little drained," Tahrno told him.

"That's... not a half bad idea. You got the rest of the checks?" Williams asked.

"Not a problem, sir. Just some routine checks and scans before the next shift. I've done it at least a hundred times by now, so it's no trouble," Tahrno told him.

"All right, Lieutenant. You have the deck. I'll be back in the morning," Graham told his subordinate with a salute, before turning to head for his cabin.

When no one was looking, he tapped the side of his temple three times, sending a signal that the message had been received and acknowledged. A few seconds later, the text disappeared, clearing his vision. Since being stationed with the Second Veldhern Defense Fleet, he hadn't received a message this serious. He hoped that he would never have to see one like that, but now it had happened, and he had work to do.

Graham arrived in his cabin and activated the sound and signal dampeners, giving him total privacy. He then got to work, crafting a meeting message for Operative Aguilar, along with a place to meet. Being the head of the UCW's Internal Affairs in this system was tricky, but it was also necessary. So many other groups and empires wanted the Veldhern system, and it was only because of IA that they managed to hold it.

While the fleets and the strength of the UCW defended against threats from without, it was IA's job to deal with threats from within. Greedy executives, spies, turncoats and even renegade soldiers weren't safe from the eyes of Internal Affairs. The only way IA could work and effectively do its job was in complete secrecy, so very few ever truly knew what Internal Affairs was doing at any given time.

Here, in the Veldhern system, only two other people were privy to who he really was. The first was his wife, Ana, who had been part of an investigation concerning turncoat soldiers, back when she was a Commander. The second was Administrator Dohbalan, and even his knowledge of Graham's activities was limited.

Graham finished crafting the message and sent it, knowing that only Operative Aguilar would get it. He sighed and mulled over what was going on over the course of the past twenty-four hours. First a pirate attack on the station, a subsequent attack on the tourist villas, finding out about a group and ship thought lost to time, then receiving an Omega Protocol emergency? Shit was getting real, and he hoped that another war wasn't on the horizon.

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

Alex groaned as sunlight streamed in through the open windows of the villa into the bedroom. His eyes snapped open as his arms moved and detected that he was alone in bed. He sat up, blinking against the light as he crawled out of it. Interestingly enough, one of the villas had been equipped with a bed large enough to accommodate him and all four of his ladies.

He sat there and thought more about his new situation and what it meant. He knew that he loved Natalya and Kasumi, but feeling similar emotions for both Shazza and Korsa? Alex didn't think it was possible, but he could tell that he wasn't lying to himself. He knew that what they had shared and what he felt was real. He smiled then, thinking about how life would be with all four women by his side.

Groaning at his stiff muscles, Alex stood and got himself a shower before getting some clothes on. He then ambled outside, following his nose to where breakfast was waiting. He saw that the rest of the crew was eating and how some of them were already finished with breakfast. Shazza noted his approach and smiled at the man as he neared.

"Well, good morning sleepyhead! Took you long enough to drag your ass out of bed this morning!" Shazza ribbed.

"It's almost ten AM! What kept you in bed for so long?" Natalya teased.

"I'm pretty sure that the four of you fucked me into a coma last night. It's a wonder I even woke up at all! You four can be a demanding lot," Alex shot back, which caused all four of his lovers to bury their faces in their food or coffee cups.

"Nice one, Alex!" Tahral grinned.

"Shush you!" Taal'ani admonished her boyfriend, which earned her a cheeky grin from Tahral.

"Looks like you had a night like me Talon. If you waddling like a duck is any sign of how it went," Alex teased.

"Quit now, while you're ahead Alex. I'm letting you have that one because I'm too damn tired to even care about any comebacks right now," Taal'ani moaned as she sipped a large mug of fresh coffee. Alex then spotted Jaesa approaching the group, like she had news about something.

"Fair deal. Jaesa anything new to report about your findings?" Alex asked as he set himself a plate of food and sat down between Korsa and Kasumi.

"Only one piece of information that I felt could wait until now," Jaesa stated. She then revealed the existence of the slave circuitry in the shuttle, which woke everyone up. The crew then relaxed when they learned that Jaesa and Delilah, along with Stanley's assistance, disabled the slave circuits, allowing them to retain control of the shuttle.

"Still, the existence of slave circuitry installed aboard the shuttle is disturbing. Any idea who would want such tech put in a shuttle, and why?" Natalya asked.

"Dohbalan? He did give us the shuttle after all," Priya suggested.

"Possible, but a little too obvious. It might be someone else, someone who would have the authorization to install such tech in the first place," Inari replied, familiar with how the command structure worked with the UCW. "Would have to be someone of Commander rank or its equivalent to have such tech installed with no one asking questions."

"Well, we could sit here and speculate, or we could find out who it is and go from there," Alex stated, catching everyone's attention.

"How do you suggest we do that?" Korsa wondered.

"Taal'ani?"

"Well, the first thing we'd have to do is access the maintenance logs for this specific shuttle. We find those, we can find out who did it, when they did and who knows about the installed tech. Though for the best results, I would have to be aboard the station to do it. Hacking from down here would make for an easy trace and they'd know we were onto them," Taal'ani informed them.

"You will require my help as well. Though you are a gifted hacker Talon, the station has measures that would find you within minutes. I was able to take a peek into their security systems remotely from the ship," Jaesa stated.

"So, you'll have to be up there with me then?" Taal'ani asked.

"It would be the best way for you to get in and out of their systems without being noticed, yes," Jaesa responded.

"If that's the case, then you need to get to work on upgrading your android body then Jaesa. You need to be able to pass as an organic human, if you're going to get inside the station and assist Talon with the hack," Alex told the AI.

"You are giving me permission to have my full attention on constructing my new avatarial form, sir?" Jaesa asked excitedly.

"I am. Take whoever you need to help you out and get it done. The sooner we unmask the one who is trying to trap us, the sooner we can turn the tables and trap them," Alex ordered with a touch of malice in his voice.

"Thank you, sir!!!"

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

On a secure subspace frequency, Dexter Malkaran had just finished telling his superiors what he had learned. The council of men, women and aliens listened to his plea. The mention of potentially locating one of the lost Prometheus ships had caught their attention, and they hung on every word. Even those who were skeptical were swayed after Dexter played footage of the Darkstrider in action.

"This is a risky proposition that you have tabled to us," a Takharian man told him.

"The risk is great, but the reward, when we succeed, will be infinitely greater!" Dexter reminded him.

"Indeed. Mr. Malkaran is correct on this matter. I approve of the additional funding required to hire the help you are asking for," a human woman replied, the glee in her voice apparent.

"I approve as well," a Rondathan man stated, giving his seal of approval.

With the two largest investors in the Collective backing Dexter's idea, the rest fell in line, like dominos. The chance to acquire Golden Age human tech was far too great a prize to pass up, no matter how great the risk was. Such technology would give the Tosh'kanthi Collective the edge they'd been looking for. Soon, they would bring the galaxy to heel, under a new set of laws, written by them, to favor them.

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

Though this one was a bit of a slower pace, it sets the stage for the conflicts to come! New characters, new plot twists and new character arcs are happening and will continue to happen! Also, for those who are at the upper echelon tier and have spoken to me about their characters, they will be arriving within the next few chapters. I have an epic way to introduce them that everyone will love!

I know that some folks are wondering when certain things are going to happen, such as the journey to Prodosia, and the return to Talemkha, and so on. Short answer, they will happen when they happen. The best part of the story isn't the destination, but the journey that happens, in which the story is told! I have a game plan on how everything is going to happen, so please be patient, as I am still just one guy doing all of this!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please rate and comment on my work down below and ask me questions if you wish, as I love hearing from my fans! If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share with your friends, though your views, ratings and comments are enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!