Project - Prometheus Ch. 46

The moment each piece was secured, they took it to the carrier to open up. It was the only ship that had enough room to accommodate a retrieval effort and to store all the new prisoners. It didn't take long to salvage those who had survived from the smaller ships, as there weren't many survivors there. Most of the survivors were on the decimated flagship, the Lee's Vengeance.

As they confirmed that there were no more survivors adrift outside of the massive ship, did the search and rescue focus their efforts on the command cruiser. They started with the sections that had broken off from the main ship, searching for any heat signals. Some people had been pulled from their confines in the nick of time. Others didn't make it, having succumbed to their wounds, or died from lack of air.

It wasn't too long afterwards that the focus was shifted to the main two halves of the cruiser. In the frontal half, less than one eighth of the crew had been found alive. While they were less than thrilled at the outcome of events, the soldiers of the Confederacy were grateful for the rescue. The aft half fared a bit better, with nearly a quarter of the crew being found alive while the rescue teams searched for any survivors.

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Unknown to them, the frigate carrying Major Robert Sawyer and his hodgepodge crew of survivors drifted away from the battle. They had done their vacc launch well before the Prodosians had agreed to start searching the wreckage for survivors. Their ship had been in line with an empty sector of space in which they were now drifting. They had made sure to keep all systems and power off, so they wouldn't be discovered.

"How much longer are we going to drift like this, sir?" the female officer asked Sawyer.

"As long as it takes for us to be outside of their scanner range. Once that has happened, then we can power up and get out of here," Sawyer stated, annoyed that he had to explain himself like this.

"Understood!" she replied and went silent afterwards.

Sawyer allowed himself a small smile, happy to see that this woman didn't need to be told again. To him, it was clear she was more of a follower sort of officer rather than a leader type. She might go somewhere further in her career, as she was sharp and picked up on things straight off, without having to be told twice. If she continued to prove herself capable, then he might decide to keep her around, as good, obedient officers were difficult to find.

"Distance?" Sawyer asked, directing his question to the engineers. They had stayed on the bridge and close to any other viewports, so they could have a visual on the slowly shrinking fleet. With their computers off, the only way to calculate how far away they were was by hand, which is why the engineers were still there. The engineers jabbered for a few seconds more before the leader turned to address him.

"According to the math, we're on the outer edge of their radar screens! I would still advise that we continue to drift for at least another fifteen minutes, sir!"

"Fifteen minutes?" Sawyer questioned, slightly miffed that he would have to wait any longer.

"You asked for us to get out of here without being noticed, correct, sir?" the man asked.

"I did."

"Another fifteen minutes will not only push any active radar screens they have, it will also push us closer to the hyperspace jump point. This will make the chances of them detecting our signature far less likely and even if they find any trail later, we'll be long gone by then," the man explained.

"Very well. Fifteen minutes, and not a moment more," Sawyer agreed, seeing the sense in this.

While it was less than ideal to manage his breathing for a bit longer, Sawyer knew that staying off the radar was essential at this point. So far, they had been lucky, clearing the debris field relatively quickly thanks to their vacc launch. Their momentum did slow down slightly, but their speed remained constant, allowing them to get clear of any ships or debris.

The only way this was going to work was if all electronics were turned off and the crew bundled up. Keeping their electronic and heat signatures at a minimum was essential if they were going to escape without being noticed. It was working, even though some people were having trouble breathing, with the life support turned off. Still, they needed to be certain that they were out of range before daring to turn the ship back on.

"Time?" Sawyer asked as he huffed a bit.

"Thirteen minutes, forty-seven seconds," the lead engineer informed him.

"Everyone, to your posts! Let's be ready to move!" Sawyer ordered.

As one, everyone exploded into action, heading to their respective stations in anticipation of getting out. The moment everyone was where they needed to be is when the fifteen minute mark had elapsed and the power came back on. The systems flared back to life, and everyone breathed a little easier, as life support started pumping out proper air again inside the ship.

"Time to hyperspace point?" Sawyer questioned, as he felt the familiar hum of the ship returning to full power.

"Three minutes, sir! Hyperspace co-ordinates will be ready in two!" the navigation officer told him.

"Very good! Engineering, how does the hyperdrive look?" Sawyer asked over the comms.

"It's coming back online, sir! We'll be ready to jump in two and a half minutes!" came the reply.

"Excellent! Tactical, have the enemy ships spotted us yet?" the major wondered.

"Nothing to indicate they have spotted us, sir! Looks like our gamble may have worked!" the tactical officer responded.

"Superb! Helm, continue to the jump point! The sooner we're out of here, the better!" Sawyer stated.

Everyone nodded and stuck to their jobs, not wanting to be caught like their compatriots had been. Or worse, getting blasted into scrap by the enemy frigate, the Darkstrider. They stayed frosty and, as the engineers had predicted, they were too far out to be noticed by their enemy's radar. A few minutes later, they had reached the jump point and leaped into hyperspace, safe and away from the battle they had been a part of.

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Aboard the captured carrier sat the remnants of the bridge crew of the Lee's Vengeance. Many of whom were looking both surly and defeated, considering how badly their fleet had been decimated, then forced to surrender. To them, this had to be a bad dream they would wake up from, eventually. The only thing was, many of them were aching and in pain from the wounds they had suffered from the attack on the cruiser.

Among them sat Daruisz Walczak, who looked shocked, bitter, and utterly defeated. The man hung his head in shame as he ran through a multitude of scenarios in his head. He wondered how it could have gone so wrong when they had everything in place! While the interference from the drew of the Darkstrider was a factor, it shouldn't have been the sole reason why they lost this conflict to begin with!

"It was because of your arrogance that we lost!" one of his subordinates scoffed at him. Dariusz's head snapped up and glared at the man, surprised that he knew what he was thinking! It was then that Dariusz saw everyone's faces and knew he had been thinking aloud again.

"We only lost because we did not know what our foes were capable of! Which is something we should have been made aware of!" Dariusz protested, defending his actions.

"Bullshit! You let that frigate get a shot in, because you wanted to prove that the Lee's Vengeance was impervious to anything it could throw at it! You could have eviscerated that ship but didn't because you wanted to show off, like the arrogant sonofabitch that you are!" his XO, Riley Stanford, berated. The woman had been with him through many campaigns and never uttered a single complaint until now.

"Mind your tone, Riley! It's not like we had any real warning about what the ship could potentially do to us!" Dariusz growled, daring the woman to keep going.

"Oh, we had a warning! I was there when Sawyer told us to open fire and take that ship down! That man may be a tough nut to crack, but I could tell that he was scared when he saw that ship coming for us. It was almost like he knew something was up!" Riley countered, directing all the onus onto Dariusz.

"Fucking Sawyer!" Dariusz cursed.

"What? You going to blame him for this now?" Riley sneered, having lost all respect for her former commander.

"The bastard gave us a cursory warning and only when his life was threatened! Yes, I accept it was my mistake that devastated our flagship, but we could have taken additional measures if Sawyer had opened his damned mouth!" Dariusz fumed.

"Speaking of Sawyer, where is that man? I don't see him here!" another officer interjected.

"The fucker took off, like the errant coward that he is! Downloaded everything he could from the ship's mainframe and left us to die on the bridge!" Walczak told them. Some officers were surprised to learn of this, but the seasoned ones, not so much. They knew that intelligence types like Sawyer only thought about themselves. The fact that a coward like him had escaped filled them all with rage.

"I seriously hope someone gunned his ass down for trying to get out!" one officer said.

"Doubtful! Heard the man was an assassin before he worked in intelligence. Supposedly had some mods to enhance his speed or some shit. If anyone tried to stop him, then they'd be as good as dead," another chimed in.

The conversation then shifted to Sawyer and what he'd gotten away with, taking the heat away from Dariusz for the moment. It wasn't long before another ship landed in the hangar, ready to transport them planetside. The officers quieted down as they, along with the rest of the crews, were herded onto the transport. They were among the last of them to head down, as nearly every other survivor had been recovered.

Those who hadn't survived were given an impromptu funeral, via re-entry into Prodosia's atmosphere. It may have been barbaric, but it was also a clean and mess free way to give these people a final sendoff. Just because these people had been on the opposite side of the conflict, it didn't give the Prodosians carte blanche to disrespect them. They had even gone so far as to let the survivors stand by a viewport and watch, so they could say goodbye.

The survivors buckled up and readied themselves for transport, as re-entry could be a bumpy ride at times. As they pulled away from the carrier, some of the officers started chatting again, wondering how such a small ship could wield such firepower.

"Heard some rumors swirling over the net. Nothing confirmed, but enough to make me think there is some truth to what was being said," Riley mutter quietly.

"Oh? Like what?" one of the officers questioned.

"How there was a Collective incursion at Veldhern, which no one saw coming!" Riley started.

"I'll bet no one saw that coming!" another officer replied, knowing that the Collective were the only ones more paranoid and serious about their spycraft than the Confederacy.

"Indeed! Rumor goes that while they had the upper hand initially, they were quickly and brutally repelled! The Darkstrider and her crew were apparently at the center of all of it!" Riley finished.

"How was that possible?" Dariusz asked, curious about these rumors and their veracity.

"No more talking!" one of the guards snapped as he walked by them with an assault rifle cocked.

While the officers knew the man wouldn't kill them, as they were too valuable for ransom, that didn't mean there would be no maiming. They wisely quieted down as they waited for the ship to get to the surface. The re-entry was a bit rough, but nothing concerning as the ship held together with no issues. Once the vibrations settled, the transport made its way to the settlement of Tanith's Gully.

The ship landed on the outskirts of the town, touching down gently before opening its ramps. The prisoners unbuckled themselves and left the craft, happy to be off the ship. They were greeted by lots of booing and jeering from the native townsfolk, who were throwing whatever they could at the Confed soldiers. There were some small rocks and pebbles, along with whatever detritus could be found on the ground.

Some had the audacity to throw rotted food, but even that was a rarity, as Prodosians rarely, if ever, threw food away. The Confeds did what they could to dodge the incoming projectiles, not wanting to be hurt any more than they already were. They were quickly frog marched to what appeared to be a mustering ground, where the rest of the survivors sat and waited.

As they arrived, the group saw they were being guarded by deputies and militia at gunpoint, along with some sort of robots. They didn't know what the robots were, but assumed they were programmed to detain and possibly kill them, if necessary. Just as they were being moved to an empty section of the ground, one soldier jumped to his feet and attacked a nearby robot.

The man fought like a rabid animal, trying to take the machine down, and he had it on the ropes for a moment. Less than a second later, the robot retaliated, delivering several crippling blows in rapid succession. The man screamed in pain, but then quieted as three punches from the machine's fists silenced him via a knockout. The soldier then collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

The robot called out for a medic and one hurried over, checking the man who had been beaten. Once it was assessed that the damage was superficial, aside from the broken nose, the man was treated and put back in his spot. The current prisoners and the new ones being processed knew now that challenging any of their jailers was a bad idea. At best, they'd be beaten like their compatriot had been. At worst... they didn't want to think about it.

The survivors were seated and given a small amount of food and water, which had been pillaged from their ships. While some of them groaned and were angered at this, none of them were in a position to argue. The natives continued to boo and hiss at them, but they did so at a distance, which was a bit of a relief. For now, they kept their cool and weighed their options, while reflecting on how it was they lost.

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Alex opened his eyes, groaning as he finally came awake. The man sat up and looked over at the clock in the room he lay in and saw that a few hours had passed. Since he was in a room aboard the Darkstrider, he assumed that whatever gamble they had pulled off had worked! As he came to full wakefulness, he noted he was in Korsa's room and looked down at the bed he rested on.

Sure enough, there lie his girlfriend, snoozing contentedly next to him. Korsa breathed deeply as she stirred and moved, eventually waking up as well. The Khontaran woman looked like he felt; tired beyond belief and drained of all energy. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings, but Korsa smiled as she recognized her surroundings. She then glanced over at Alex and smiled.

"Hello, love!" she grinned.

"Hello, dearest! Feeling all right?" Alex asked, worried about her safety.

"Feeling like I did the Khontaran equivalent of a triathlon, but I'll be OK," she replied as she leaned in to kiss her man. Alex kissed her back, and the pair moaned happily until they were interrupted by Korsa's door opening.

"Ah! You two are awake! Jaesa said..." came the voice of Matthias, who stopped talking abruptly as he took in the pair kissing.

"What is it with people having the worst timing?" Korsa mused, as she finished her kiss and turned to regard the man who was Alex's descendant.

"Maybe we need to have a warning system inserted by the cabin doors?" Alex suggested.

"Well... sorry for my interruption... but you two should really drink this!" Matthias said, as he held a pair of mugs in his hands.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"It's tea. The kind of tea that mom and I prep whenever we've used our power for too long, or used it too much during the day. It helps," the man stated as he offered the mugs to the pair. Alex and Korsa leaned forward and accepted the mugs graciously before taking a drink. The taste wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't a new favorite either.

"I know. The tea takes some getting used to," Matthias told them as he saw their wincing faces. Despite the off taste, both Korsa and Alex could feel strength returning to their limbs, as the tea helped them replenish their reserves from the heavy use of the Aether.

"How's everyone else?" Alex asked.

"They're all awake and in good spirits. If you think you can stand, they're in the lounge, getting something to eat," Matthias informed them.

Glad to hear that everyone was OK, and awake, Alex and Korsa finished their tea and stood up. Their legs were a bit wobbly, but they soon fortified their stances and followed Matthias out. Walking was a bit of a chore at the moment, but the pair managed as they walked along to the lounge. As they entered, they were greeted by the sight of Natalya, Kasumi, Shazza, Zuzanna and Gloria sitting and chatting like old friends.

"Alex! Mama! You're awake!" Natalya cried out as she bounded to her feet and rushed the pair of them. She hugged them both, and they hugged her back, happy to see that she was safe and all right.

"Took you two long enough! Have a nice little nap there?" Kasumi sassed.

"I wouldn't be one to talk, 'Miss snores like a saw through an oak knot!'" Gloria rebutted, which made Kasumi go beet red.

"Damn, Kas! You were that out of it?" Alex chuckled.

"Oh, shush!" Kasumi huffed as she walked over and gave the pair a hug alongside Shazza. After welcoming them back to the land of the living, they all sat down and Alex and Korsa dug into the half-eaten platters of food that sat on the tables.

"What we did is much like what happens when an athlete pushes themselves too hard during an event or a race. Drawing that much of the Aether is a drain and you need to replenish all the nutrients your body needs," Gloria told the group.

"I am curious about what would happen if we were to push ourselves beyond what we did," Alex wondered.

"Yes! I too would like to know the effects of serious prolonged use," Korsa piped up, the doctor in her inquisitive about what could potentially happen, as Zuzanna checked her vitals.

"I haven't seen it happen, but I have heard of it being detailed in the books I have. What becomes of an Aetheric user using too much is simple. They start wasting away, like they've been starved for too long. The power draws from your body, in essence what keeps you here, tethered to this existence," Gloria started.

"It would start with whatever nutrients you have in your body. Then once that is gone, it would drain you of all muscle mass, then go for your skin, organs, then lastly, your bones. In the end, there would be nothing left of who you were and you would be gone. So, when using the Aether, you need to be mindful," Gloria finished.

Hearing this left Alex and the ladies in a state of shock, as they weren't prepared to hear that! It made a certain sort of sense, though, considering the type of power they could wield and what it could do. It was clear to him and his women that they shouldn't consider its use, even light use of it, lightly!

"Not all is lost, though!" Gloria piped up after seeing the looks on everyone's faces.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! The good news is that the more you use this power, the more you will be able to use at will," the older woman told them.

"So, it's like working out? The more you work it, the stronger it will become?" Kasumi asked, hoping this was the case.

"That's exactly it! You not only get stronger with the Aether, you become more efficient in its use, so you will be able to do more, with less! Though, like working out, you do need to be careful that you don't push yourselves too far or too hard," Gloria told them.