Project - Prometheus Ch. 29

"Excellent. You need not know our names, but just know that we require the most delicate of touches on this. The job requires stealth and discretion and it is of the utmost importance that it be done without the other side knowing what's happening," Dexter told him.

"Sounds simple enough. What am I stealing?" Void Lord asked.

"Hyperspace routes and co-ordinates to something that has been lost to us. We'd like to get it back from these... thieves," Saubath stated.

"We will need you to be prepared ASAP. We are expecting the ship with the logs and routes in question to be docking later today. You will find all the information you need in this data docket we have prepped for you," Dexter told Void Lord, handing him a datapad.

"All right. Where do you want the info delivered to?" Void Lord asked, wondering who he'd be sending it to.

"You will deliver the information in person. The data is far too sensitive to just be transmitted over any lines, even secure ones," Saubath told the diminutive man.

"You guys are seriously kicking it old school with this! How about a renegotiation of my rate?" the man asked them with a casual smirk.

"You greedy little..." Saubath cursed, until Dexter slapped his hand on the big man's chest, stopping him.

"A bonus will be added to your already... considerable fee, provided you deliver on your end of the bargain," Dexter told the hacker. Saubath calmed considerably at this, thinking it was fair.

"All right. I can go with that. If you two are done here, I'd like it if you let me be. I need to get to work, as you so eagerly asked me to," Void Lord told the men.

"Very good. Lor'kanth, we need to let the man work. If you will," Dexter gestured towards the door. He watched the men leave the room and when they were gone, he turned to his baggage and started unpacking them.

Inside them were some basics that everyone required, clothes, toiletries, etc. the most important thing he'd packed was his hacking rig. Most personal computers were far more portable than the old and bulky PCs and laptops of centuries past. Most were now small handheld affairs, in which mountains of data could be stored. Some were even as small as a standard wristwatch, but that was mainly for those who needed only the basics.

Void Lord's rig was a bit larger than an old style reader tablet and looked just as innocuous. He placed his finger on the screen and spoke out his password, turning the machine on. A beam then shot out of the screen, searching for its owner. He kept his face close by, as it was checking to be sure that it was him trying to access it. After scanning his face and eyes, in chirped an affirmative sound, before powering on.

Nearly instantly, a jumble of holographic readouts and tools popped out of the rig. Void Lord cracked his knuckles and started shifting things to where he liked them, as he opened up the data packet. He held the tablet to his scanning tool, and it copied all the information he needed onto his rig. He then took the tablet and smashed it to pieces, doing what he always did to keep his tracks covered.

The man opened up the data files and went over what he'd been given about every member of the Darkstrider crew. He also went over the supposed layout of the Darkstrider itself and its possible security measures. A detailed scan would have been preferred, but these two men, whoever they were, hadn't gone that route. He knew that members of the Collective didn't advertise who they were and what they were doing, so he'd have to work with what he had.

Void immediately nixed trying to sneak aboard and establish a link directly. With the crew being the types they were, there was no way he would survive a physical encounter with any of them. That left doing this remotely, and while it wasn't ideal, it would have to do. He was up to the challenge though, and relished the idea of finally putting Taal'ani in her place.

He smiled as he read the scheduled docking time they had and why they were coming back up to the station. The materials purchase and the loading of said materials would give him the perfect cover to infiltrate the ship's systems and take what he needed. With everyone busy minding the loading of the items, they wouldn't see him coming!

Though he'd been contracted for a certain job against these people, it never hurt to take a little more than what he needed. He never knew what could be useful later on down the road. Void Lord sat there and smiled at the sweet feeling of revenge that he'd be tasting soon!

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"I don't trust the man. Too greedy and too slick for my tastes," Saubath grumbled as the pair of them ambled along through the station.

It wasn't an uncommon sight for the pair of them to be spotted together, as their ranks required them to work together occasionally. They'd been careful to keep things professional when in public. Now that they were out of earshot and in the sector of administrative offices that Dexter controlled, they could speak freely.

"I don't like the man either, but he was the only one with the skillset who was close enough to contract. Anyone else would have taken a week and a half to two weeks to arrive here," Dexter told him.

"Just make sure to tie up any loose ends when the job is done. I want this done as clean as possible," Saubath reminded his compatriot.

"It will be. Don't worry so much, Arcann. We will have what we require and once we have it, we can walk away from our covers and start overseeing the monumental work the Collective will build," Dexter told the Takharian.

"They see it as something that important??" Saubath gasped, shocked at the recent change.

"Yes. Because of this, once we have the information, we are being recalled immediately. With a ship like the Perseus at our command, we will be able to have battle ready fleets constructed in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost!" the human stated, exhorting his comrade-in-arms.

"And the technology level we will possess will make every other fleet be little more than flying scrap heaps!" Saubath grinned, remembering the raw, unfettered power the Darkstrider possessed.

"Yes! With enough time, we will topple all governments who stand against us, no matter their numbers!" Dexter grinned. Just then, a quiet alarm sounded on Saubath's arm. The Takharian man looked down at it and groaned.

"I have to get back to minding my fleet, before I'm missed. Let me know when things are ready and I'll enact our exodus from the system," the commodore told Dexter before he left. He walked out of the office and followed a pre-planned route out, so he wouldn't be noticed.

Saubath couldn't help but smile to himself as he thought about what lay out in space, ripe for the taking! As a hatchling, he'd been told the tales of the technological marvels that the humans once held. How they had lost it, just before the outbreak of the Dark War and how of the eight dreadnoughts, only one was destroyed. He'd dreamed of one day finding such a ship and commanding it himself! Now that dream was within reach!

The Takharian man had changed much since his days back on his homeworld. He was no longer a scared youngling who had been the runt of the litter. The power he commanded would have made most warlords envious. He also remembered a vow he had made to himself when he was still young; to finally unify his people under one banner.

Though his planet and people were among the myriad of advanced civilizations, they remained divided. Many warlords had tried to unify the Takharian people under one banner, but they often failed due to incessant levels of infighting. Every male and some females often fought to prove they had the strength and will to lead. This often led to more Takharian blood spilled than was necessary.

Now that the Perseus was within reach, he would finally have a way to crush the bickering warlords. Saubath could become the Supreme Warlord and unify his people, leading them to conquest! With this dream now within reach, he felt it was possible for his people to become the new power in the galaxy!

The Tosh'kanthi Collective, while powerful, was far too subtle and stealthy for his tastes. Arcann Saubath joined them because they seemed like the best chance he had to become the Supreme Warlord of the Takharian people. The Collective wasn't aware of his aspirations, at least as far as he knew. Still, if he was going to betray the Collective, he'd have to be careful about it.

Thinking about what was occurring at that moment, Saubath knew it was unlikely that this job would go off without a hitch. Most high risk operations rarely unfolded as planned. Though he had to get back to the fleet, Saubath knew that he'd have to have his exit plan on standby. It was this mentality that had seen him rise to the rank of commodore, and he wouldn't wind up in a cell or worse by being careless.

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Graham was still in utter shock at what he had just learned! Not only was Dexter Malkaran a sleeper agent for the Tosh'kanthi Collective, but so was Arcann Saubath! This sort of situation called for extreme measures, but Graham couldn't act, not yet. Though the audio files that Lucy had squirreled away in the lingerie were damning, it could be fought in court. No, Graham needed something that damned both men beyond any shadow of a doubt.

The IA operative then fired off a coded message, using a highly secured network that only IA operatives could access. He needed to speak with Lucy or one of the other operatives immediately, and couldn't risk blowing his cover. He sat there, mulling over the knowledge he had gleaned.

That Dexter was a Collective sleeper agent had left the man reeling. Having met the man on more than one occasion, he came across as a duty bound and driven man, doing everything he could for the betterment of all. Dexter had succeeded in that capacity so much that no one would have figured him for an enemy spy.

Graham knew that if he was a plant, then he'd have to do something about him, and fast! Hopefully, one of the operatives would get his message soon and reply. He knew that if these two men were Collective agents, then there were likely others as well. Graham could only hope that he could uncover them before too much damage was done. Just then, his console on the desk beeped, telling him he'd received a reply. He opened the screen and read the new message.

'Message received. Orders?' it read in bold text.

'Infiltrate the offices of Dexter Malkaran and retrieve any information pertaining to their current actions and goals. Use any means necessary to gain access to the information,' Graham typed, giving the operative her mission.

'Mission parameters?'

'Stealth and deception is required. They cannot know that we're onto them. If compromised, use of deadly force is authorized. No witnesses to report back,' the man told his operative.

'Understood. Requesting an RA-2178 form before mission commences,' the reply read. Graham's eyes widened, as he did not expect this! The operative was requesting a form to read someone in on their status?!? He shook his head and replied.

'Explain.'

'Mission success will require burning an asset. Would rather have the asset read in and be of assistance further in the future,' came the response.

Graham mulled over the idea and saw its potential merits. If the mission was successful, having an additional pair of eyes that could be trusted wouldn't hurt. The man couldn't help but smirk, thinking that one of the watchers had likely fallen for said asset. He honestly couldn't fault the operative for her actions, as he'd done much the same after meeting Ana all those years ago.

'RA-2178 form request will be fulfilled upon mission completion,' Graham wrote back. He sat there for a moment before he received his reply.

'Accepted. Beginning mission now,' the final line came in, before the line went silent. Graham sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Now that the matter was out of his hands, the only thing he could do was wait and pray.

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Lucy had just finished up with her breakfast as she was communicating with Graham. To anyone watching, it just looked like some sort of virtual business chat. The line, though, was secured that even hackers like Void Lord would have had trouble breaking through. She was happy to hear that she was getting the form at the mission's end, but Lucy took a deep breath nonetheless. Now came the tough part.

The asset that Lucy had turned out to be her girlfriend of several months, a nice Arabian girl named Ziva. She had initially done what she was ordered to, stay on the periphery and be the friend of a friend. It had mostly been easy, as she lacked any real connection with anyone on the station. Ziva, however, turned out to be a different story.

Unlike everyone else whom she'd met, Ziva had an undeniable pull that Lucy couldn't figure out. The more Lucy tried to distance herself, the more she was drawn to the woman. She was pretty sure that Ziva actively sought her out, and no matter how much she denied it, Lucy couldn't help but want the young woman.

They started out as good friends until Ziva had asked Lucy out on a date one evening while they were out with a group of friends. Lucy was hesitant, but after enough cajoling, she had finally agreed to go out on a date with her, provided they took their time. Ziva was more than fine with it, as she too wanted to take her time with dating Lucy. They had been together a couple of months now and things were progressing nicely between them.

They hadn't had sex yet, as Lucy was leery of letting Ziva know she was a futa. Opinions and personal feelings on futanari ranged from enthusiastic acceptance to outright hatred. Lucy hoped Ziva didn't mind that she was one, but the fear still lingered. Taking another deep breath, Lucy squared herself for one of the toughest conversations of her life.

She paid her bill, leaving a generous tip for the waitress, and headed off to the administrative offices where Ziva worked. Lucy moved at a brisk pace, more than a little excited, yet at the same time, terrified. Walking into the main reception area, Lucy craned her head slightly until she spotted her girlfriend. Smiling, she moseyed on over, putting a little extra sway in her step.

Ziva's head came up at Lucy's approach and she smiled, happy to see her lady. She kept her focus on the call, continuing the conversation as Lucy stopped at her desk. The woman finished up the chat she was having before ending the call. She then looked up at her girlfriend and she grinned.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you until later tonight! This is a pleasant surprise!" Ziva told her.

"A few things just changed, and I wanted to see you," Lucy told the woman.

Ziva was a classical beauty and one of the few pureblooded Arabian women left. She had the dusky and smooth skin that was associated with her race, along with dark brown hair, which she wore long. Her brown eyes were warm and inviting, and Lucy could lose herself for days just staring into those eyes. With an oval-shaped face and clean features, it was clear that Ziva was noticed wherever she went.

Her body was the stuff of dreams; long legs, robust curves, and more than enough flesh on her frame to make any sentient man or woman drool. Lucy remembered the first time they met; it was hard not to stare at such beauty. The IA operative shook herself out of her lust induced stupor and focused on what Ziva was saying.

"What changed?" Ziva asked.

"A few things. You busy for lunch?" Lucy wondered.

"Actually, I have the rest of the day off! My boss apparently needed some personal time to relieve some stress. Had me book him in for the rest of the day at the Solarion Spa," Ziva stated.

"Sounds like he's going to be busy all day!" Lucy replied, thinking how this couldn't have panned out more perfectly!

"Yup! Leaving us two with the rest of the day all to ourselves!" Ziva said sultrily as she sauntered up to her lady and kissed her. Lucy moaned and kissed her back, but didn't draw her in just yet. She broke the kiss and stared at Ziva, speaking her mind before she chickened out.

"Did you want to come and see my place? I'm off for today and tomorrow, so I thought we could get ourselves some... private time," Lucy suggested with a tremulous smile.

"Wait, are you being serious? You want to... take things to that level?" Ziva asked, excitement bleeding through her voice.

"Yes. Among... other things," Lucy told her.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ziva squeed. She then took Lucy by the hand and almost dragged her out of the offices while her co-workers looked on in amusement. The two women moved, almost running to the nearest lift, before heading down to the residences. Ziva pasted Lucy to the glass wall and kissed her fervently, letting her lady feel just how much she cared.

Lucy kissed her woman back, returning the passion of the kiss tenfold. They were interrupted by the ringing sound, which let the ladies know they had arrived on their level. They turned and walked out of the lift, ambling right past a young family. The two men looked at the couple with a smile as they ushered their three children aboard the lift.

Lucy led the way, navigating the walkways until she came to an apartment complex. Fishing out her keycard, Lucy opened the outer door, then retooled the key for the inner door. Once she and Ziva were past those, they nearly ran to her apartment and Lucy fiddled with the door. Ziva then turned her around and kissed her again, pressing her body tightly against Lucy's, before she peeped in alarm.

"Wha... what... is that?" Ziva asked, stunned.

"Something I've been meaning to talk to you about since we met. Can we talk about this inside?" Lucy questioned. Ziva nodded dumbly as Lucy turned back to the door and unlocked it. She then opened it and let Ziva in and followed behind her. Normally, Ziva would have taken in and commented on the artful and tasteful decor, but she was still a bit shocked at what she had felt.

"Ziva? Hello? Earth to Ziva?" Lucy asked, waving her hand in front of her face.

"You're a... trans? Why didn't you tell me?" Ziva questioned, annoyance bleeding into her tone.

"First of all, I'm not a trans. I was born a girl, but became a Futa," Lucy replied. "Second, I didn't say anything, because of the job that I do."

"As a courier?" Ziva questioned, confused.

"That's just one of my two gigs. I'm also a dancer at Sirens," Lucy went on.

"You're a... dancer and a... Futa?" Ziva gasped, her jaw hanging open.

"Yeah, I am. I didn't say anything about it because I... was... afraid," Lucy admitted.

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Being rejected, because of what I chose to be. I know that acceptance is easy enough to come by, but hatred still runs rampant about this lifestyle I've chosen. I didn't know where you stood on the matter," Lucy confessed.

"While I dislike being kept in the dark, I understand your stance on it," Ziva replied, giving Lucy a reassuring clap on the shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear it, but I think you should sit down for this next bit of information," Lucy suggested.

"What? What is it you need to tell me?" the Arabian woman asked.

"Please, sit down? It'll make things easier if you're sitting. I don't want you falling and cracking your head on something," Lucy implored. Once Ziva was sitting down, she continued. "Both of those jobs I have, as a dancer and a courier, are just covers."

"Covers? What are you? Some kind of secret agent?" Ziva scoffed, nearly laughing.

"I am First Lieutenant Lucero Aguilar, Unified Coalition of Worlds Internal Affairs," Lucy confessed, telling her girlfriend the truth.