Project - Prometheus

Alex blinked slowly as he came to, taking a deep breath as he woke up. All four women were clustered around him, with Natalya and Shazza nestled right in his arms. Smiling, Alex yawned, his jaw cracking as he did so. As he moved, coming to full wakefulness, his ladies did too, each one of them making cute noises as they woke.

"Mmmm! Is it morning already?" Shazza asked as she grunted, stretching her arms as she sat up.

"Going by the light from outside, I believe it is," Korsa replied as she stood up, windmilling her arms to get her blood flowing.

"Last night... mmmm!" Natalya said as she leaned in to kiss Alex, making the man growl in appreciation at his woman.

"I want to try that! Have him while the rest of you watch!" Kasumi sighed.

"Get in line, honey! I think we all want to experience that very thing! But even so, watching Nats and Alex... wow!" Shazza grinned in remembrance.

"I agree! Maybe we're all closet voyeurs?" Korsa wondered.

"Maybe, but let's talk about this later? I need to pee, and I'm more than a little hungry," Kasumi stated.

"I could go for some grub myself!" Alex said as he stood up, finally free of the press of feminine flesh.

After a few moments of waking up and getting their blood flowing again, the quintet got dressed and stepped outside. They were greeted by the sight of Inari and Priya chattering to each other as they waited outside. The couple stopped the moment Alex and his ladies walked into view, with Inari giggling.

"What's so funny?" Natalya asked as everyone assembled outside their tents.

"You. That starry eyed look on your face. You obviously had a good time last night," Inari jibed.

"I could say the same for you, going by those hickeys on your neck," Natalya shot back.

"Pree!! I told you to go easy with that!" Inari complained, turning to face her girlfriend.

"What? Can you blame a jealous woman for wanting to mark her territory so everyone can see it?" Priya sassed.

"And why would you be wanting to mark your territory when you know who I belong to?" Inari queried. Not even twenty seconds later, the group was joined by Dr. Walczak, who was smiling this morning. Inari quirked an eyebrow and nodded at her girlfriend, seeing the point quite literally.

"Good morning, my friends! It is a great day to be alive, is it not??" came the rowdy and rambunctious voice of Dagan Min. The man joined the group in their little circle, looking like he had a most marvelous night. With his arms around both women who'd dragged him off the night before, with them shooting him fiery, lust filled glances, he must have!

"Indeed, it is! Especially since I saw these two glaring daggers at you last night," Alex chuckled.

"For my most fortuitous circumstance, I have you to thank!" Dagan enthused, breaking away from the women to shake Alex's hand.

"Thank? For what?"

"For giving me the advice you did yesterday! Honesty really does help in mending things between people!" Dagan told him happily. Both women eyed the smuggler, but in a way that suggested they enjoyed being around him. For now, at least.

"Happy to help! I'm of the opinion that we should get going, as there is still much to do," Alex replied.

"You read my mind, Alex! I'd say that we have a shit ton of things to do before we're done on Prodosia," Inari agreed.

"Well, we cannot leave. Not without seeking the leave of the tribe's Alphas," Captain Min informed the crew.

"Then let's get going! We're burning daylight," Korsa stated as she ambled forward.

The rest of the crew moved with the large woman, as anyone headed in their direction quickly stepped aside. Going by Natalya's fighting display the night before, many had given both her and Korsa a wide berth out of respect. While Korsa hadn't fought, the fact that Natalya was her student was enough for the tribe. Some even gazed at the pair in reverence, wanting to be taught as Natalya had been.

The group didn't have to go far to find the Alphas, as Leroy and Cara were sitting at the main fire, speaking with other tribe members. They had already emptied the crates of food, eating or cooking the produce that had been brought. The seeds had already been saved and were busy being planted and tended. It would be a while before there was any yield to them, but it was still a start.

"Good morning to you all! I trust you slept well?" Leroy asked jovially as he stood up.

"Some of us better than most," Kasumi snickered as she glanced over to Alex and Natalya, still looking a bit ragged from last night's romp.

"Looking for your turn to be next?" Cara remarked offhandedly. The words caught Kasumi flat footed as she sputtered over what to say. Several of the young Wolves nearby chortled at her as she blushed, her face a deep shade of crimson.

"You could say it was a... bit of an argument on who'd be next," Alex chuckled, pulling both Korsa and Shazza to him. This made the Alpha's eyes go wide with surprise, as they could tell that Natalya and Kasumi were over the moon for this man. Seeing these two glance at the man in the fondest way was unexpected.

"With four women vying for your attentions, such things will happen. Just be sure you are fair to all of them," Leroy replied without missing a beat.

"I do my best to do right by them, no matter what happens," Alex replied with a genuine smile. All four women sighed happily and stayed close to their man, making their affection for him known.

"It's all we can do," Leroy chuckled. "Now, as I understand, you wished to speak to us about something?"

"Yes. We will be taking our leave, great Alpha. With the knowledge we have received, there is much that we will need to do before we leave Prodosia," Alex told them.

"You have our leave to go. Normally, we would offer a proper morning meal to any guests, but our stores have been lacking of late. The best we can offer to you now is what remains of last night," Cara responded. The crew nodded, as it was a hard life out here. They accepted the remnants of last night's dinner, and it would be enough to tide everyone over until they got back to Tanith's Gully.

"Hopefully, what we've given you all will help alleviate that problem in the future," Shazza said to them.

"Indeed, it will, Miss Shazza. Indeed, it will. May you always find a warm fire, clean water and know peace wheresoever you go," Leroy intoned to the crew. The crew responded in kind, following Dagan's example in repeating the phrase before they left.

The sentries that were on duty kept their eyes on the crew, watching them leave as they headed back to the rover. Dagan had to bid farewell to the two ladies he was with, but made promises to visit them as often as he could. They both pulled him close and kissed him soundly, telling him in an almost threatening manner that he had better. The man smiled as he hugged them before disengaging to join the crew.

Once they were clear of the camp, it wasn't that hard to find their way back to the rover. It lay relatively untouched, as the Alphas had given orders for it to be so. Dagan was glad of his association with the tribe, and even happier that he'd have a reason to come back. As the crew mounted up, Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the captain.

"What is so funny?" Min posed.

"You. That look on your face. Those two left you seeing stars in ways that is making you question yourself," Alex replied knowingly.

"They have not!" Dagan replied indignantly.

"I hate to agree with the big man here, but he's right, you know. I haven't seen you this relaxed in... ever!" Inari commented with a giggle.

Dagan just grumped as he got into the driver's seat once everyone was inside the vehicle. Powering it up, he gunned it as they headed back to the town of Tanith's Gully. While he had rebuffed their insinuations about becoming attached to Kris and Tawny, he secretly admitted that they were right. Though he had the persona of a fearsome captain to uphold, he felt something... more than had he had in a long time.

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

"Hey there, Daved. You OK?" Taal'ani asked the man as he paced.

"Yeah. It's just... a lot to process," the sheriff replied, as he stopped his movement for a moment.

He, along with Taal'ani, Aesha, Tahral, and Willem, were in a secret part of the station. Daved had discovered it by accident years ago, after Old Fred had passed. It was a sublevel of the station that had been isolated from the main structure, with only one way in or out. The room it let into was the sheriff's office, so only anyone who had the keys to go in could access it.

What Daved had found in here after the old goat had died was... scarifying. There had been all sorts of illegal weapons, narcotics, torture devices, the works. He'd also found the bodies of several people who'd gone missing there. Most of them had been women, but there were a few men, who were former councilors that opposed the old sheriff's brutal tactics and policies.

Daved had tried to help them, but they all died before they got the help they needed. While Daved had no need for all the paraphernalia that Old Fred had, the secret space had come in useful when containing... troublesome people. It contained two such people now, the Neurocaine dealer, Deacon and the corrupt deputy, Pol. Both men glared daggers at Daved. But that was all they could do.

The room had been outfitted with a containment cell that was designed to hold the worst of the worst that Prodosia could offer. The high grade materials which the cell was comprised of, were strong enough to hold a Khontaran in a full battle rage. Granted, Daved never had to arrest and hold a Khontaran, but having such a thing was handy.

He was thankful that he was the only one who knew of this room's existence. None of the deputies nor the populace knew of this place, and Daved wanted to keep it that way. While Willem knew of it now, he was confident that the boy knew enough to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't worried about the crew or the

Darkstrider

saying anything, as he was certain they had some secrets of their own they wished to keep.

His mind was still going over everything he learned, almost unraveling at what he'd found out from these two men. Not only was the Confederacy here in force with spies moving about the town, but no less than two members of the town council were spies! It defied all logic and imagination, but there it was.

Daved was at first inclined to think it was a lie, concocted as a way to throw him off their trail. But after giving both men a shot of Liar's Bane, a potent truth serum, the men were all too willing to speak the truth to him. Learning of all of this, it was more than a little mind blowing. Hell, he thought this was a total mindfuck and that he was living in some twisted world in his head!

"Daved, are you sure that you're OK?" Taal'ani wondered, concern lacing her voice.

"It's... just that learning about all of this, is... insane! That there have been Confederate spies lurking here on Prodosia, in Tanith's Gully and I didn't hear a whisper about it?!? I can't believe that I could have been so dense! That this shit was happening right under my nose the whole time!!" he ranted.

"This is the Confederacy we're talking about, Daved. They may be arrogant, xenophobic bullies, but the one thing they take seriously is their subterfuge and spycraft. Even for all the power that groups like the Federation and the UCW have, they don't see the Confeds coming until it's too late. The only ones better than the Confeds at spycraft are the Collective and trust me, you don't want to deal with those fuckers," Taal'ani told him.

"While I hate agreeing with statements like that, knowing the truth about matters puts me in a position that I can't dismiss it. I suppose it's what makes these groups so feared, like boogeymen," Daved admitted.

"You got that right! At least in this case, you now have some idea of what they're planning. From there, you can figure out the next move," Taal'ani assured the man.

"Speaking of which, what is our next move?" Willem asked, turning to the catgirl and his uncle, looking to them for answers.

"Right now, we play possum. Make it seem like all is well, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The more we can make things look like that, the better. It's the one way we can pull ahead of these bastards for once," Daved told them.

"Sound tactics. Lull them with a false sense of security, while they carry on thinking no one is onto them. Then when the opportunity presents itself..." Taal'ani started.

"... we bring down the hammer on their asses! Almost like hunting," Willem laughed as he put two and two together.

"Bingo! Now, I think we should be getting back up topside. Dawn isn't far off and we need to be seen," Daved told the group.

Nodding, they all filed out, one by one, heading up the staircase to Daved's office. Willem double checked the locks on the cell, and after seeing they were secure, he followed his uncle up to the station. Daved was the last one out and locked up the door, sealing the prisoners in. He then engaged the built in light matrix, which kept the entrance invisible to any observers. While such tech wasn't as advanced the disguise matrices that Jaesa had developed, it was still some pretty inspired tech.

The group filed into the office just as dawnlight hit the station's windows. Most of the people who were on night shift at the station were either out on patrol or busy with paperwork. Regardless, they were alone and able to make this little gathering seem like it was an early morning beat, rather than an all nighter.

"Thank you for your help with this investigation, Miss Taal'ani! You have been immensely useful in helping me make some headway into it!" Daved thanked.

"What? Is the investigation over? Just like that?" Taal'ani asked, feeling a little like it was.

"Hardly. This is just the start of it and while you have helped with getting us some leads to follow up on, I can't ask you or your compatriots to help us any further," the sheriff told her with a serious look.

"If that's the case, then I'm not done with it either. When I start something, I finish it. What's next?" she asked, touched by his concern for her and her crewmates, but wanting and needing to get this done.

"In this case, sleep. While I can tell that you lot are eager to continue on this track for a bit yet, you all need some rest. Working the job when you're dead tired is a surefire way to get yourself killed. So for now, for a few hours at least, the lot of you should go and get some rest," Daved said to the group.

"If that's what's next, then we'll need to head back to our ship. It's the safest place on the planet at the moment. I honestly don't think anyone will try anything with all those Sentries milling about," Taal'ani replied.

"Sounds good. Willem, go with them and make sure no one gives them any trouble, yeah?" the sheriff told his nephew.

Willem saluted his uncle, and the group made their way out of the station. While the group had the Sentries there looking after them, that didn't mean no one wouldn't try to accost the group. With Willem leading the way, everyone in town got the message that they were being looked after. If anything should happen to them, then the sheriff and his deputies would know about it.

They reached the landing pad where the

Darkstrider

was parked without incident. It's only when they neared the pad that the Sentries on guard turned their attention to Willem, seeing him as a threat.

"Sentries, activate Amity protocol for Deputy Willem Toren. He's helped us in several firefights in town and is to be looked on as an ally," Taal'ani sighed. The Sentries took a moment, but then after the new files were uploaded from the Sentries that were with Taal'ani and her group, they lowered their weapons and went back about their business.

"Thanks for that! I appreciate the vote of confidence," Willem laughed a little nervously.

"It's no trouble at all. You helped us out back there and the least we can do is extend our thanks for that," the catgirl told him.

"Well, why don't we really extend our thanks, then?" Aesha questioned.

"What do you mean?" Tahral queried.

"I mean, the poor kid has to be as tired as we are. Even though he's a resident of Tanith's Gully and a deputy, some parasites might think to jump him. Why not let him rest here for a few hours?" Aesha suggested.

"Not a bad idea, actually. You all right with that, Willem?" Taal'ani asked.

"If you've got the room to accommodate me, then I won't say no," the deputy responded with a mild yawn.

"Oh, there's plenty of room on board. If nothing else, there's some lounge chairs and couches with your name on it," Taal'ani replied.

"Sounds good to me! With these bad boys out here, no one would be ballsy enough to even try anything," Willem laughed, gesturing at the Sentries.

"I certainly wouldn't! Come on, let's get on board and get some food before we rest," Taal'ani told him. At the mere mention of food, both Tahral and Willem were up the ramp as fast as their legs could carry therm. Both Taal'ani and Aesha laughed at them, seeing that the first thing on their minds was filling their bellies.

Taal'ani also cast a glance over at Aesha, recognizing that look in her eye. It was the look of a woman who was in need of a good dicking and had already picked the man to give it to her. She couldn't fault her for it, as any woman who liked men needed to get laid from time to time, just so she could keep her focus and stay sane. Taal'ani also personally admitted the Artucian woman had good taste, as Willem was a well-built lad.

The quartet ambled inside with the ramp closing behind them, and took the elevator to the top deck, where the mess was located. With Taal'ani leading the way, they went in and raided the fridge, pulling out all the leftovers and reheating what they wanted. With the way Inari and Alex cooked, there were always leftovers and even reheated, they were still delicious. Willem was in heaven, never having had food this fine before as he stuffed his face.

"Slow down there, kid! You'll give yourself a heart attack!" Taal'ani joked.

"It's all so good! My mouth is telling me, 'More!' but my stomach is saying, 'Stop, before you kill us!'" the deputy laughed.

"If you think these leftovers are something, wait until you try some of the stuff our dear captain cooks up, when it's fresh!" Tahral told the boy.

"Inari? I heard she was amazing at making good food, but that's probably just people talking," Willem shrugged.

"Actually, that's fairly accurate. Inari used to be a celebrity chef, way back in the day," Taal'ani told him.

"You serious?"

"Yup! Hell, any prisoners we've had have eaten better meals than what most inmates get in a year! Speaking of which, Jaesa, what is the status of the prisoner?" Talon called out.

"His wounds have healed, and he is more than a little antsy at the moment. The Sentries are keeping him contained and confined to his bed, and he has made no aggressive moves towards them," Jaesa answered over the comms.

"Very good. Keep an eye on him for a while longer. We're going to get ourselves some rest," Taal'ani stated.

"Is that a VI?" Willem wondered.

"Indeed, it is. Inari sprung for some extra voice modulation programs, to make it sound more life-like," Aesha told him, remembering the line she had to deliver.

"It certainly does sound like it's a real human voice! Anyway, I don't think I'm going to move too far from this room. Hell, I don't think I'll be able to stay awake for much longer," the deputy said with a heavy yawn.

"Just climb over on that couch there and clonk out. I'll have a Sentry bring you a pillow and blanket," Taal'ani told him. Willem nodded, and he shuffled over to the couch, lying down on it and passing out in seconds. The crew snickered at the kid as he snored gently in the throes of sleep.