Chapter 2

“Are you serious?” came Natalya’s incredulous voice over the intercom.

“Come on up and see for yourself,” Inari replied, her voice still quiet. The clamor of movement from behind her let her know everyone had left their posts to get a good look.

“Oh, my God!” Priya and Natalya said at the same time. The lights were still flashing across the hull from their position, but the name of the ship was clear as day.

“Looks like those legends you told me about are true Nats,” Korsa said.

“Yeah,” Natalya squeaked, still in disbelief, “But I never thought we’d be the ones to find one of the lost ships from the Prometheus Project!”

“OK, time out,” Taal’ani interjected. “It seems I’m the only one left out of the loop about this. Could someone please explain what exactly this ship is and why it’s so important?” Everyone else turned to look at her, not believing the words that spilled out of Taal’ani’s mouth just now.

“You never heard the legend of Project Prometheus?” Natalya gasped.

“No, what was it exactly?”

“Let me tell you what it was,” Natalya smiled as she put her arm around her Fel’caan crewmate and guided her back to the lounge, Korsa following along in their wake. As the three women retreated to the rear of the ship, Inari spun back to the controls and moved the Darkstrider along the length of the Leviathan class ship.

“Pree, I need active scans of this thing!” the captain commanded.

“Aye, captain!” Priya said, as she went back to the radar holo. A question popped into her head, which she then asked. “I’m curious though. What is our plan?”

“The sheer value of such a ship is beyond what any of us here can imagine! We can’t trust this to anyone else, so find me a hangar bay. We must board this ship and find a way to power it up again,” Inari continued. “If we can restore power, then we could take it back to Federation space ourselves. Who knows? This might be the big score we’ve been looking for!”

In the lounge, Natalya sat down and gestured for Taal’ani to do the same. “So, are you going to tell me about this legend of yours?” the cat girl asked impatiently.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of Earth and much of its history, yeah?” Natalya probed while leaning forward.

“Bits and pieces, here and there,” the Fel’caan woman replied.

“I’m guessing that you’ve heard about the Unification War?” the engineer quizzed her friend.

“Yeah, where humanity put aside its differences for the common good. It wasn’t easy though, what with the greedy elitists trying to keep everyone divided for their own gain.”

“That’s right,” Natalya said, eager to continue the story. “It was after the war, when humanity had finally unified, that they made a discovery. In the Aegean Sea, beneath nearly a kilometer of rock, coral and sand, we found remnants of a massive ship.”

“Like the one we found just now?” Taal’ani interjected.

“Similar, yes,” Natalya continued. “It was this ship that changed humanity’s role in the galaxy. Aboard it was all sorts of technology that far outstripped our own. Also, aboard the ship was a data archive of sorts. The language was ancient and would take time to decipher.”

“I take it that it was as old as the ship?”

Natalya huffed at being interrupted again, but Korsa’s hand on her shoulder calmed her down. She looked up at the elder woman as Korsa said, “Short version Nats. You have the history file. Make a copy for Talon if she wants the details.”

Natalya pouted but nodded in acquiescence as she turned back to continue her tale. “So, humanity tried for the longest time to figure out the language, but it was proving to be impossible. Someone had the brilliant idea of mixing mathematics into the language programs to try to figure it out and we finally made progress.”

“Eventually, we cracked a portion of it. It was less than ten percent, but it was enough to decode a few thousand petabytes of the logs and schematics. There were many technological wonders that had yet to be discovered, all chronicled within it. Soon after, using what we had learned, we entered an age of peace and prosperity,” Natalya said. Her face then took on a faraway look, imagining what it must have been like to live in such a time.

“So, where do these ships fit in with this?” Taal’ani asked.

“Not long after they cracked the archive, every entry recorded and cataloged, the Earth High Council unanimously decided that it was past time that humanity reach for the stars,” Natalya went on. “We had grown enough as a species where we saw the universe as a place of learning, not as some conquest.”

“I really wish that more humans could adopt that attitude these days,” Korsa said offhandedly. The big woman went to pour herself some vodka into a glass she had retrieved. Natalya grunted noncommittally before continuing.

“Using what we had learned from the archive, eight massive ships were constructed at the Armstrong shipyards. It was located equidistant from both Earth and Mars. They were designed for deep space voyages to take humanity out amongst the galaxy. Thus, Project: Prometheus was born.”

“Their primary mission was to explore the space surrounding Earth and beyond. To catalog and mark everything they encountered as they voyaged through the galaxy. Much of the galaxy was still unexplored and unknown to us. Though there was a map in the archive, it was dated to millions of years before.”

“So, everything about star positioning and what the galaxy was like was rendered useless,” the Fel’caan woman supplied.

“Exactly, but we could still use the star charts as reference points. These ships weren’t just designed as colony ships. They also carried all the knowledge we had massed in our time, so the colonists would have access to everything they would need. They were also classified as flying space stations, as they were equipped with on board foundries, machine shops, hydroponics. You name it, it was on there.”

Taal’ani blew out a low whistle, “Sounds like they designed these things to be self-sustaining battle fleets!”

Chagrined, the chocolate-skinned woman progressed with her tale. “That was one use they made it for, but not its primary purpose. The weapons it was armed with were designed to defend, and the ships it would create could fight if needed. Just because we had become more peaceful, it was foolish to assume that the rest of the galaxy would be.”

“What weapons was it armed with? What were the specs on it? Where were they headed?” Taal’ani yammered excitedly.

Gesturing in a calming motion, Natalya finished up the story. “No one really knows, as nearly everything on them was highly classified. After they had launched, the ships had been gone maybe twenty years before we lost all transmissions. Soon after, we made first contact with the Xuul’khan.”

“Well, we all know what happened after that,” Taal’ani said rather darkly.

“Indeed, but now we may have answers!” Natalya jabbered.

“If story time is over, I need you back in your suit, Nats,” Inari’s voice came in over the ship’s comm system. “You too, Talon.”

Rising from their seats, the trio made their way to the cargo hold. As they descended, Natalya called out, “You found something, captain?”

They all hit the deck, eager to be getting out there and exploring this marvel from the past. Natalya was still in her suit, so she walked to where her helmet and gauntlets were, having divested herself of them earlier. While Korsa helped Taal’ani with her suit, their captain continued.

“A way in. There’s a hangar bay on the starboard side that looks like it’s been pried open a little. I need both of you out there to open it fully so we can get in.”

Natalya’s eyes widened in anticipation. “We’re boarding?!?” she cried out gleefully.

“That we are, and we need all hands on deck.”

“You can count on us, captain!” Taal’ani replied, her excitement clear in her voice.

She had donned her suit and was busy latching her arm computer onto her gauntlet. Then she grabbed her thruster pack and Natalya’s. Hurrying over, her mag boots clomping on the floor, she helped Natalya with attaching it to her suit and then turned around. The human woman then did the same for her, ensuring they fit properly with it. Double checking that she had missed nothing, she grabbed her helmet and secured it in place.

“Slow down there, Talon! We’re not on a clock here,” Korsa chuckled as she finished helping her crewmate secure her vacc suit.

“I know! But even so, this is something beyond exceptional!” Taal’ani was practically bouncing, she was so excited. Natalya had finished locking her helmet and gauntlets into place and re-ran another vacc test. Smirking, Korsa looked at them both and shook her head.

“Like kids on Christmas morning,” the Khontaran woman giggled.

“Can you blame us, Mama? This is something that no one else has found yet and we are the first ones to find it!” Natalya enthused. Korsa thought about it for a second, then nodded.

“Fair enough, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. You have everything you need?”

“If we need anything, we’ll give you a shout!” Taal’ani piped up over the comm, the helmet muting any sound she would have otherwise made. Walking over to the door controls, the Khontaran woman activated the containment field by the bay doors.

“Seals good?” Korsa asked once more before opening the bay doors.

“Yeah mama, we’re good,” Natalya replied, both women giving Korsa the thumbs up.

Seeing they had both uploaded their test results to her console, the large woman checked them out. Noting that they were green across the board, she opened the doors, allowing the women to step out into space. She then closed the doors after they had cleared the field. Sighing, Korsa couldn’t help be excited herself, as what they were doing was literally a historic event.

Coasting along towards the center of the Perseus, both women had launched themselves from the hull of their freighter. Using their thrusters, they closed the gap to the derelict ship, eager to get inside. Flipping about to land feet first, the crew mates fired their thrusters briefly to slow their velocity. Floating along, they neared the hangar bay doors that their navigator had spotted. Once they were a few meters away, they activated their mag boots, instantly clunking onto the hull of the Perseus.

“OK, we’re on. Heading towards the doors,” Natalya reported.

As they moved along the length of the ship, both women couldn’t help stare in awe and wonder at the relic they stood upon. Their movement towards the doors was slow, but they didn’t have to go any further. As they approached the doors, the ladies couldn’t help notice the sheer size of them. They were easily large enough to accommodate a destroyer, possibly even a heavy cruiser.

“These things are massive! Any idea how we will get them open, Nats?” Taal’ani asked.

“All human tech has always had a manual override when something can’t or won’t function. We need to find the correct panel where it’s hidden.”

“Makes sense. Where do you need me?” the Fel’caan woman queried.

“Once we find the switch, see if you can find a data port or something you can manually link into,” Natalya replied. “Any help you can give in opening these doors is welcome,” she finished as she continued her search for the override switch.

“You got it!” Talon chirped as she kept her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. They rounded the edge of the door, still looking for their way into the gargantuan ship. Though the doors had been opened a bit, it wasn’t enough for anyone to squeeze through. Taal’ani noticed a few points that looked like they might be viable candidates for where the switch would be located.

“You see these recessed panels here, Nats?”

“Good eye, Talon! Check each one and see if they open,” the caramel skinned woman responded.

Getting to work, they spent several minutes trying to pry the plating away from the ship. It wasn’t until Natalya tried with a plate in the dead center of the bottom half of the door frame. The panel popped up, then split in half, like a set of double doors, revealing both the manual switch and an interface.

“Found it!” Natalya shouted triumphantly.

“Excellent work, Nats! Can you get it open?”

She stared at the switch for a moment, noting a glaring difficulty. “It looks like it’s locked into place.”

The two-handed switch was locked down by a brace of titanium bands, which prevented it from being used. Next to it was a digital interface of sorts, which Taal’ani had spotted and immediately brought up her cracking programs.

“I may have a way in, ladies,” Taal’ani spoke as she concentrated on her digitized hacking deck. “Stand by.”

She pulled up every program in her arsenal, linking with the Darkstrider to provide her with the boost of power that she needed.

“Looks like the power levels here are weak. I might be able to undo the lock, but that’s it. Anything else, I will have to physically get inside and try my magic that way.”

“As long as you can get it open, we should be able to work around the rest,” came the eager reply of their captain. The cipher on this security node was annoyingly complex. The form of it shifted every thirty seconds, which prompted Taal’ani to start all over in bypassing it. Nearly ten minutes later, she was still having issues trying to get past it.

“Do you need me to get any closer, Talon? The link to your system might need a boost.” came Inari’s concerned reply over the comm.

“The signal is fine; I’ve just encountered nothing quite this intricate!” Taal’ani retorted.

The Fel’caan woman cried out in frustration, angry that she couldn’t bypass a simple security protocol. Forcing herself to calm down, she closed her eyes and looked at the program. She knew this would be complex, but this was proving to be something that might be beyond her abilities. Then, for a moment, Taal’ani spotted what looked like a repeat in the code structure. Surprise flitted across her face and as she studied the code further, she saw the hidden pattern within it.

“It can’t be ... a Skorean code??” awe replaced her surprise as her eyes danced across the screen, following the code trail.

Natalya turned to look at her crew mate, “What’s a Skorean code?”

Her head suddenly racing with a solution, Taal’ani dove back into the code frame with renewed vigor, babbling as she worked. “A Skorean code is a security code structure that employs multiple programs, all running at the same time. Each program is different, though, the structure of each one, unique. It runs each one for a brief amount of time, before switching to a new program entirely, making a hack nearly impossible.”

“So, you can crack it?” came Priya’s voice over the comm, laced with hope.

“I don’t know,” Taal’ani replied. “No one has tried, because it’s still theoretical. No working prototypes exist.”

She followed the code pattern as best she could, continuing her trek through the differing programs, spotting the points she needed to change in the code. Once the changes were made, the code simplified, changing at slower intervals. Heartened by the progress she made, Taal’ani continued to delve into it, making additional changes needed to slow the code shift.

‘One more and I should be able to cut through,’ Talon thought to herself as she advanced to the last stage of code. ‘A few moves here, a change or two there ... and... ‘ the code shift stopped then. Exclaiming in disbelief, Taal’ani then initiated her protocol breaker. The interface, previously lit in red, switched instantaneously to green. A moment later, the bands holding the manual override switch in place clunked back into the ship.

“Now Nats! I don’t know how long it will stay unlocked!” Talon yelled.

Not needing to be told twice, Natalya grabbed it with both hands and pulled with all her might. The switch resisted at first but gave way after a three second struggle. As it clicked outwards, the doors opened. They groaned, as though in protest at their rest being disturbed, though they did not slow in opening. As they slid into the ship’s recesses, several large chunks of metal flew away from the doors. Those chunks were the reason they were partially open.

“Outstanding job, Talon, as always!” Inari cried out in jubilation, as she guided the Darkstrider into the now open hangar.

“Hey, I aim to please,” Taal’ani fired back nonchalantly, still not quite believing what she had done.

Raucous laughter answered her over the comm as the freighter glided right over the space walking women and settled into the bay. Landing gear out, it set itself past the doors, landing lightly. Following the ship in, both women cleared the doors as they walked over to where the ship was parked. As they reached the halfway mark between the ship and the doors, they heard the familiar groan of the bay doors. Turning, Natalya and Taal’ani watched as the hangar bay doors closed.

“Shit!” Natalya cursed as she ran as fast as she could back to the doors.

“What’s happening?!?” came a worried question.

“The doors are closing behind us! I’m going to stop them!”

“Nats, you won’t make it! They’re closing too fast!” Taal’ani warned. Try as she might, Natalya couldn’t get there in time. The doors closed just meters in front of her face, only this time, they sealed shut properly, internal locks clunking into place. Screaming out in a rage, Natalya pounded on the doors, as though her meager show of force would open them.

“Did we get locked in here??” Priya asked over the comm.

“Looks like,” Taal’ani responded. “Though this time, the doors are completely closed, so we won’t have to worry about getting sucked out. There’s no air out here, though. You’ll all have to suit up if you’re going to step outside.”

“Copy that. We’ll be along in ten minutes,” Inari declared. Taal’ani walked over to her distressed friend with the aim of getting her head back into the game.

“Hey,” she whispered, while grabbing her friends’ arms and hauling her to her feet. “There’s nothing you could have done. We’re in here now, so we should make the best of it and try to find a way out of here.”

“You’re sounding more and more like Mama K,” Natalya scoffed dejectedly.

“She does have a lot of wise teachings that are worth learning,” Taal’ani laughed softly as she led her friend back to their ship.

“Sometimes, it’s easier said than done,” Natalya laughed bitterly.

“Oh, believe me, I know,” the Fel’caan woman said off handedly, reminiscing on her own past.

“So, any ideas, now that we’re stuck here?” the cat girl asked as they waited for the rest of their crew.

“Well, first we have to find our way to engineering,” Natalya asserted, sounding more confident than she felt. “Pree picked up power readings, so the reactor to this place isn’t completely dead. I should get all of my tools, so that whatever we may need, we have, without having to run back and forth.”

“What did you have in mind?” Taal’ani asked, intrigued.

“Whatever this reactor is, human hands built it. Since that is the likely case, I should be able to either repair it. Or at least give it the jump start it needs to climb back to full power,” Natalya stated hopefully.

The darkness of the hangar bay hung over them, like an oppressive shadow, waiting to devour them. The lights from their ship kept it at bay and illuminated the immediate surroundings. Many sorts of garbage and debris littered the area, making it appear as though they were standing at the bottom of a trash compactor rather than a hangar bay.

There were various items that appeared to be broken tools and ruptured containers. Also, there was a smattering of what seemed to be frozen human body parts. ‘Poor bastards,’ Natalya thought to herself, shivering involuntarily. Imagining dying in such a manner was almost too much for the young woman to bear. A loud hiss interrupted her speculations as the doors to the Darkstrider opened and the ramp slid down.

“A good plan, by the sounds of it. Hop inside and get what you need. We’ll secure the area out here. Talon, think you can get us inside?” Inari stated as she stepped up to both women, resplendent in her Mark three marine suit.

“I don’t think that will be a problem, but I’d better grab my portable rig to be safe,” Taal’ani said, as she admired the form her captain cut in the power armor. Though the suit was an older model, it still looked fearsome. It transformed the look of their kindly captain into that of a hardened warrior.

Night blue, interlocking armor plates covered most of the black vacc suit underneath. It was coupled with military grade mag boots and a supply pack on her back, which contained extra magazines and grenades. The helmet was designed to look both faceless and fearsome, sleek angles and smooth contours. Combined with a solid black visor, made it look like something that was more machine than human. The effect, though, couldn’t be denied, as chills involuntarily shot up Taal’ani’s spine.

Korsa looked no less awe-inspiring, as her interlocking armor was gold and gilded in silver overlay. The design of the plating was both alien and familiar, with her helmet being both simple in its design, yet elegant. The flowing form of the armor made it appear that she had emerged from some ethereal dimension.

Made from a metal native to her system, it was more resilient than titanium. One of the most notable differences was that it was far lighter and tougher to bend or dent. It was also nigh impossible to acquire, as that was one of the few things the Khontaran Empire kept strictly for themselves. Despite many ridiculously one-sided trade proposals, the Khontaran people refused to trade it to anyone. Even their closest allies.

Priya’s suit was similar to Inari’s, but an older Mark two model, which had a similar effect on the cat girl. The color of the armor was red, and the black suit underneath almost made their navigator look like some sort of ganger. It was pitted and pocked with bullet impacts, but each one of them had been patched up, so the armor would still work. Another thing the crew had been meaning to do was get their hands on some better armor, but funds had been tight lately.

Priya and Inari were armed, Priya with her Night Hammer sniper rifle and a pair of pulse pistols. Inari bore her signature weapon, the Ravager auto rifle, a heavy beast of a weapon. In her lower arms, Korsa held a pistol in one hand and a pair of SMGs in the other. Lobbing them to Taal’ani and Natalya, she crossed her arms, while pulling her Thuun’tara blade out of its sheath on her back. Gripping it with her upper arms, she stepped away from the group to practice some sword forms with it.

“This thing is a derelict. A massive one, but any threats should be long gone,” Natalya said, eyeing the weapons that both women held.

“While we were looking for a way in, I noted some oddities in the hull of the Perseus,” Priya stated as she checked the sighting on her weapons.

“Weapon impacts?” Taal’ani asked.

“Boarding pods. The impact sites were patched up, but the outer markings were still visible.”

“Any idea who or what attacked them?” Natalya inquired.

“None, but it’s obvious that they weren’t friendly. We don’t know what we’ll find here, so it’s best to be prepared,” Inari finished, with the confidence and experience of a woman who had done this before. Nodding grimly, both Natalya and Taal’ani checked their weapons, set the safeties and holstered them.

“Need to run to my quarters for a moment to grab something. Talon, mind loading the grav-sled?” Natalya queried.

“Full load out?” she asked.

“Yup. I’m going to need everything if we’re going to both restore power and get out of here,” Natalya called out as she disappeared into the ship.

Sighing in exasperation, she called out to Natalya’s retreating form, “Grab my rig while you’re up there! It’s in the green case!”

Taal’ani then went to work, loading the all the tools and equipment that belonged to the Darkstrider’s engineer. Taal’ani had just finished loading the cart as Natalya slid down the ladder, bouncing over to where her friend waited. The green case that Taal’ani had asked for was slung on her back, which Natalya promptly removed and handed to the cat girl. Looking over the pile on the sled, Natalya tsked and walked away to a pair of large blocky cases.

“You forgot these,” she said as she hefted them, one at a time, to load them on the sled.

“Are you sure? The last time you brought those along, you nearly put a hole in Pree’s ass,” Taal’ani said as she frowned dubiously. Feeling embarrassed, Natalya straightened out the payload before strapping it down. After locking the straps in place, she stepped behind the sled.

“It’s OK. I fixed what was wrong with them. They won’t cause any problems since you rewrote that targeting algorithm,” the caramel skinned woman asserted.

“At least, I hope they won’t,” she added too quietly, even for Taal’ani’s enhanced ears to hear.

“OK, let’s get going,” the young woman said as she pushed the sled out of the Darkstrider and down the entry ramp. As both women stepped away from the ship, they located their crew mates, their suit lights shining against the inky darkness. They likewise activated their own suit lights, making their navigation across the hangar floor far less foreboding.

As they approached, the three women were standing by a door which led to the aft of the ship. A small terminal was wedged into the wall to the right of the door. Taal’ani stepped towards it, opened her case, and pulled out the computer deck that was nestled within. Using the mag harness that was built into the frame of the deck, she activated the clamps, temporarily bonding it with the wall beneath the terminal.

Punching in a few keys, the deck then powered up, its green holographic display brightening the area around the five women. Inari and Priya had assumed a sentry stance, keeping their eyes and weapons trained on the cavernous gloom surrounding them. Korsa stood a few paces behind them, maintaining a vigil over her daughter and the sled.

“Can you speed up the process any Talon? This blackness is giving me the chills,” Inari said as she tightened her grip on the Ravager auto rifle.

“I have to cut through another Skorean code here, and this one is giving me more trouble than the last one,” Taal’ani growled. She worked on the pattern that would grant them entry into the derelict, trying to keep up with the code as it evolved.

“Just hurry it up, please. By Shiva, it almost feels we’re being watched,” Priya stuttered as she held her ground, looking in as many directions as she could.

“Not helping!” came the cat girl’s anxious reply. Fifty seconds later, the final sequence came into play, which Taal’ani pounced on, unlocking the door with a loud clank.

“OK everyone, clear the door and lock in,” Taal’ani said, stepping far enough away from the terminal and deck, where she could just reach it. Everyone else followed suit, stepping away from the door, readying themselves for the decompression. They all kneeled, grabbing what ridges and handholds they could find in the floor.

Stretching out, Talon reached over and pressed the activation key on her deck, opening the doors. They opened slowly, and a small blast of air escaped, which then became a large one as the doors further separated. While mighty, the air flowing into the hangar bay wasn’t enough to knock the women over, though it jostled them fiercely.

Just as quickly as it washed over them, the blast of air faded. In three minutes, it went from near gale force wind to a slight breeze. Standing, all five women approached the door, looking into the corridor that lay ahead. Stepping forward, her rifle pointing ahead of her, Inari took a few tentative steps into the murk. When nothing happened, she signaled the rest of her crew to follow.

“Form up, ladies, and look sharp. We’ve been lucky so far, but we do not understand what caused this ship to become lost in the first place. Stay frosty,” Inari said.

“Aye, captain!” the other four women chorused as they formed up. Priya fell into step just behind Inari, while Taal’ani stayed with Natalya and the grav sled, with Korsa bringing up the rear. Cranking their suit lights to maximum illumination, they began their foray into the ship.

The corridor they walked into spidered into an entire labyrinth of passageways. Most led to either living quarters or what seemed to be recreation areas. A few small offices that looked to be reserved for deck officers. Their lights bounced off the white walls and dark gray floors, dust motes scattering wherever they trod. Korsa had brought up a holo display on one of her arm bracers, going through a scan of some sort. Looking behind her, Natalya broke the ominous silence.

“What you doing, Mama K?”

The large woman looked up from her holo, “Running a scan of the air quality, just to see if there’re any clues that way.”

Inari stopped, peering back to where Korsa stood, and breathed, “Anything worth noting?”

“The air is clean, though it might be thin. I recommend we use our air filters, at least until we can restore power to the ship,” Korsa reported, as the scan came up lime green in color. Nodding, Inari switched from her own air supply to the filtration system built into her helmet. Taking a deep breath, she smelled and tasted a faint trace of mustiness coming through her filters.