Project - Prometheus Ch. 44

"That kind of was the point of getting the whole place rebuilt afterwards, you know," another clerk said to the young man.

"Still, it's a nice change! Maybe we should get shit blown up more often!" he laughed.

Such a comment earned the boy some withering stares and one of the women walked up right behind him and cuffed him upside the head. The man cried out in pain and then realized what he said as he shrank into his seat, looking ashamed of himself. The crew had a good chuckle at his expense before they moved on into the station.

They came to the conference room, which had been expanded and upgraded. This made it easier for everyone to fit without it feeling like a sardine can all the time. Inside the room waited Natalya, Daved, Jenque, Zuzanna, Dagan, and a few other high-ranking deputies, along with Willem. Everyone stood up and clapped as their heroes walked into the room. Natalya charged at Alex, wrapping him in a hug and kissing him passionately.

"Hey! Hope you got some sugar left for me, Nats!" Kasumi huffed.

"Oh, shush you! You'll get yours in a moment!" Natalya said to Kasumi as she stuck out her tongue. Kasumi did the same and everyone around them chuckled as the rest of them were seated, with the trio following them soon afterwards.

"First thing I want to say at this meeting is a huge round of thanks to Miss Vostrikov! If it hadn't been for you, we all might well be nothing more than piles of human mush in a smoldering crater right now!" Daved said as he clapped enthusiastically. The whole room followed his lead, as the town was now enjoying an unprecedented level of safety thanks to Natalya's efforts.

"Well, thank you! I can't take all the credit, as I had help from the other techs and engineers who helped me get the shield online!" Natalya responded.

"Still, you have given everyone in town the one thing they have been wanting for years, almost decades! Complete peace of mind that they'll wake up tomorrow and find that everything will be as it was!" Jenque told her. Natalya blushed and thanked everyone for the praise yet again, happy to have given so many that level of peace.

"With the shield keeping us all safe, I'm curious how long it will be before the ships we brought down are battle ready," Daved wondered, always looking to the defense of the town.

"Well, with the town's infrastructure and damaged buildings repaired, we can now task the Sentries with aiding in the repairs and upgrades of the ships. Do you have the plans and schematics of what you need done?" Inari questioned.

"We do. Who should we upload them to?" Daved wondered.

"Send them to me! I can get them uploaded and have the Sentries working through the night! Hopefully, by morning, we'll have them ready for battle!" Taal'ani told them. Daved smirked and sent Taal'ani the plans, which she picked up on her wrist deck. Smiling, Taal'ani went to work, getting them uploaded to the idle Sentries.

"I'm curious about why we aren't being bombarded. I mean, shouldn't those bastards be at least trying to deplete our shields? Jenque questioned, wondering why this was the case.

"That's simple. Because they'd be wasting their time and energy trying to punch through it. Before, with the ship cores powering the shield, they stood a chance of overloading it. Now that it's tied to the town's power grid, their chance has gone from a 'maybe' to a 'very low.' Besides, they won't waste their energy or ordinance in pointless attacks. Even lascannons have their limits," Zuzanna clarified.

"It makes me wonder who is in charge of all of this. The tactics they used were of a solid attack plan that would have worked had we not been so quick on getting things done! Whoever they have up there knows what they are doing," Priya mused.

"I have an answer to that! While Taal'ani was getting the word out to everyone about the fleet's arrival, I stayed on the comms channels, trying to pick up any chatter. I found a few transmissions that I was able to intercept and record. With Jaesa's help, I cracked the encrypted channel and found out who we are facing," Tahral told the group.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense, boy! Tell us who it is!" Korsa demanded.

"The man in charge of the ground forces is a man called Major Robert Sawyer. The man commanding the fleet is one Captain Daruisz Walczak," Tahral stated.

"Oh, fuck me!!" Zuzanna moaned as she put her head in her hands.

"You know these men?" Alex questioned, as he was one of the many whose attention was now on Zuzanna.

"Much more intimately than I would like! Robert Sawyer, I dated many years ago, back when I was fresh out of the Confederate Academy. Dariusz Walczak... well, he's my... my..." Zuzanna stuttered.

"He's your dad, isn't he Zuzie?" Inari asked, knowing who it was that Zuzanna was talking about.

"Yeah. He is."

"What can you tell us about them?" Daved queried, hoping that Zuzanna was in a sharing mood.

"Robert Sawyer, you guys need to be careful with. I may not have seen nor spoken to him in years, but I know him well enough to where he isn't someone to be underestimated. That guy usually has a few tricks up his sleeves that he'll use to outmaneuver or outplay you. If you have a chance to shut him down, do it, because he'll find a way to gain the upper hand and use it to his advantage, so the tables are turned in his favor," Zuzanna told them.

"I'm guessing that what you had... it ended badly?" Priya asked, sensing some level of pain when Zuzanna talked about Robert.

"Catastrophic nuclear meltdown, would be putting it mildly," Zuzanna said in a voice that told everyone that the topic was closed.

"All right then. What about Daruisz Walczak?" Kasumi asked.

"Well, I do know that my dad is an accomplished tactician and is not one to suffer defeats lightly. He knows his shit and is one of the more gifted commanders in the Confederacy. Never give that man any quarter, as he is utterly brutal to everyone and shows any who cross him no mercy," Zuzanna spat.

"Crossing your dad like this? You have no hope for the man at all?" Willem questioned, wondering how someone could be so cold to their own blood.

"None. My... family, or... blood kin, I should say, are staunch military traditionalists. Me deserting after the Bombardment like I did all those years ago was a massive stain on the family honor. They disowned me and even told me, 'I hope you rot in the hell you chose to squat in.'" the blonde doctor stated.

"Jesus, that's cold!" Daved said, knowing full well just how cold family could be to one another.

"All over you deserting because you didn't agree with their bullshit?" Alex wondered.

"As I said, my... father is as brutal as he is merciless. Especially once he found out about my... personal life choices," Zuzanna told them with a resigned sigh.

"Well, I'm glad that you're on our side Zuzie! With you here, we have a much better chance at taking these bastards on and coming out on top!" Jenque enthused, which was echoed by everyone in the room.

"Thanks! That means a lot to me!" Zuzanna said as she felt herself tearing up.

"So, we have two main problems that need dealing with. First is that fleet up in orbit. If we can handle those bastards, then taking out the ground base shouldn't be too much trouble," Luminia stated.

"Don't write the base off as an easy victory without the fleet. Sure, with the fleet gone, it will be much easier to take it down, but it won't be a cakewalk," Alex told her.

"I agree. Taking on reinforced ground bases with entrenched soldiers is the furthest thing from easy. Even if you have the numbers to storm the base, which we do not have, it will be a literal bloodbath," Shazza nodded, knowing that Alex was being realistic.

"The only real question is, what tactics should we use and what angles of attack should we pursue?" Inari questioned, her mind already whirling with potential ideas.

A lively debate sparked up the room, with everyone offering their own ideas on how to deal with the fleet and storm the base. Ideas were batted back and forth, with some being propped up while others were cut down. Everyone was trying to come up with something that would work, but nothing was really sticking.

"If I may have everyone's attention?" Dagan boomed out, startling everyone. "I have an idea that might have some merit, if everything is played in the correct manner."

"Oh? What did you have in mind, Dagan?" Inari queried.

"Well, here is the basic idea, and leave out any interruptions until I voice it in full, if you please," he told the assembled group.

The smuggler laid out the basics of his plan and the more everyone listened, the more they all smiled as the plan took shape. Even the biggest skeptics were won over, as the plan was quite literally, genius! The group stayed in the conference room, adding their own bits to the plan which could work, along with hammering out the details. Once they were done, they went over it once more to be sure that they had everything correct.

"So, we are all agreed that this is a good plan?" Dagan queried.

"It is a fantastic plan! If something like this doesn't put the Confed on their heels, then nothing will!" Inari stated confidently.

"All right then! Let's get to work!" Alex said as he stood up, eager to carry things out.

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

Daphres Mahtarn's ship, The Wychlight, dropped out of hyperspace on the fringes of the Prodosia system. The moment they arrived in realspace, the helmswoman activated the stealth drive, cloaking their signature from any scanners. While The Wychlight's stealth drive was rudimentary, it would hold long enough for them to get planetside. Once that happened, the Lady Zarkazh's plan could be set in motion!

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

Once again, we are at the end of a chapter, and what a fun one it was! A well played exchange that put the Confeds off their game, giving the defenders of Tanith's Gully some much needed breathing room! While they have the advantage at this point, their enemies won't be so stupid as to make the same mistakes again!

Even though Dagan has a plan, which will be seen in the next chapter, so too do the Confederate commanders! So many ideas, so little time to write them all down!! As the conflict escalates, many more things will be happening that will push everyone to their limits and then some! For the answers to what happens next, stay tuned!

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!