Chapter 14

Alex looked over the hologram of the plans for the dome in front of him. Though a lot had been done in these past two weeks, there was still more to do. Since the night of the Artucian’s entry into the Unified Systems Alliance, both them and the crew of the Perseus had been working around the clock. Salvaging the wrecks of the Dead Snows was well under way, as was the rebuild of the dome behind him.

One of the first things to be done was to clear away all the ice surrounding the dome. Once enough of the ice had been cleared away, the basic structure of the dome had gone up. Already, several small frigate and destroyer wrecks had been cannibalized to do this. After that, they had started putting together the interior substructure to make the dome habitable.

Taal’ani and Jaesa had worked together to find a way to strengthen the Artucian crystal, having stumbled upon the compound not even five days ago. After testing it both theoretically and physically, the new crystal was stable and strong. It was easily capable of withstanding high levels of heat while still maintaining its integrity. After they had figured that out, it took them virtually no time at all to cobble together a machine that could reproduce the crystal in sheet form.

Currently, the machine was spitting out a new hexagonal sheet of crystal every ten minutes. Though that might have seemed fast, the speed at which the crew and Artucian were building was much faster than what the machine could produce. Already, nearly half the dome was ready to come online, but there was only so much crystal that could be made at any given time by the Glaug’kha slugs.

The accelerated timetable was owed to the both the Artucian’s work ethic and the new Sentries that were constructed. The Artucian people were a marvel, especially to Korsa. Having no shortage of volunteers, Korsa was able to study both male and female of the species and she learned much more than she thought possible. On top of the discoveries Korsa had already made, the most amazing thing was the Artucian’s capacity to learn.

So much of their brains were unmapped, but from what Korsa was able to determine, the average Artucian could learn anything new with surprising readiness. For the doctor and her daughter, Natalya, teaching those willing to learn was almost like having a class with near photographic memory.

Sure, there were those who didn’t learn quite as well, but they were blessedly few. Because of their capacity to learn, many of the Artucian were doing things nearly on par with the rest of the crew. Although, some other things, such as flying and haven’t been taught as yet, the crew had no illusions that eventually, the Artucian would learn about these things.

The new Sentries that were constructed were playing a key role in getting things done. Many of them were built to new designs and specs that were concocted by Natalya, Kasumi and Shazza. The chassis was upgraded to a light, more durable frame, upgraded weapons, and some additional goodies. Built in scout drones, portable radar and heat sensors, collapsible shielding, construction and welding kits, were just a few of the upgrades that had gone into the new Sentries.

With everything that had been recovered, they had restored over fifty percent of the Sentry compliment aboard the Perseus. Half of which were currently in the Dead Snows, patrolling and clearing out wildlife, as well as assisting Inari’s team with the salvage operation. With the materials being recovered on a daily basis, more Sentries were being built each day, which made their job easier with each new unit.

Though everything was proceeding along at a good pace, it wasn’t fast enough for Alex. He longed to finish with things here and get out into the galaxy, so the Unified Systems Alliance could start bringing more splinter factions of humanity into the fold. He chastised himself for his impatience, knowing that this new quest he and the crew had embarked on was a marathon, not a sprint.

Nothing would be solved overnight, no matter how much he wanted it to be. Though both of his ladies, Nats and Kas, kept him occupied most nights. He grinned at their wanton and sometimes, insatiable lust for him. Alex could feel himself falling in love with both women and not just because of the sex. It was how they made him feel and how they drove him to be better and do better than the day before. A few kind words from them, made him feel like Superman, almost like he could conquer and overcome anything.

He turned away from the hologram and focused his attention on the dome behind him. Alex smiled as he watched the final few sheets of crystal being placed and sealed together. His new design included a secondary layer beneath the first one, in case some sheets on the first layer required replacing. As it was, the first quarter was in the final phase of construction and was nearly ready to come online.

“All sheets have been sealed?” Alex asked Taal’ani as he surveyed the work in front of him.

“Nearly done sir. The first quarter is just about ready and the main settlement at the center of the dome has been sealed. We will be ready in ten minutes,” the cat-girl told him.

“And the systems upgrade? Has it been successful?”

“Yes sir! With Jaesa’s help, we have rewritten the whole program that powers up and maintains the dome. Lt. Commander Vostrikov’s upgrades have also been essential in giving us more than enough power to run the dome for the next few hundred years,” Talon told him.

“How did she manage to do that?” he wondered.

“Natalya found several ship reactors that hadn’t ruptured and repurposed them to power the dome. Quite innovative of her, if you ask me.”

“Very good, Warrant Officer. Proceed with the power up when ready,” he told her.

“Aye, sir!” she replied with a salute, before getting back to directing the Artucian and Sentries to additional construction duties.

Inari was going through several additional checks of the clamps to ensure that her payload was secure. Though it wasn’t ideal, it was the only way to haul salvage up to the Perseus to be recycled and repurposed. Priya, Korsa, Shazza and a small contingent of Artucian, along with several dozen Sentries were there helping her out. Sure, progress was slow, but once the dome was online, then the Hephaestus frigate would be built, making the salvage op much easier.

Inari then had the crew load up on the Hermes, figuring that it was getting a bit chilly for them. The Sentries could go for a little longer before they needed to be rotated out. Though the sun was out in full force, the bitter cold was taxing on their joints and ability to move and perform the tasks needed. She figured another hour or two before they should be rotated, to be safe.

“Commander Sunara, are you there? Commander Sunara, come in please,” Alex’s voice broke in over her commlink.

“Sunara here. I read you loud and clear, Commodore,” Inari replied, slipping back into military mode. It felt good to be part of something military again. She had missed both the lifestyle and the camaraderie that came with it. Even though she had that to some extent with the crew of her ship, it wasn’t the same. Having someone there for you and that had your back, no matter what, was something she had missed from those days.

“The first quarter of the dome is about ready to come online. Will you be ready to deliver our first gift to the Artucian?” he asked.

“Within the hour, sir. I have Sentries standing by with the plants, seedlings and trees, ready to load them. Just have to run this load up to the Perseus before we can come on back,” she replied.

“Very good Commander. We await your arrival. Command, out,” he said before cutting the line. She shut down the channel before calling out to both the crew and the Artucian warriors.

“All right! Everyone, let’s mount up! We have a delivery to make! Sentries, continue your patrols and holding patterns.”

The Sentries all chimed over the comms line with their signals, indicating that each one there had heard and confirmed her order. Everyone else clambered into the Hermes as Inari powered the ship up, getting it ready to fly. She checked her readouts and after confirming everything as green; they lifted off, heading skyward.

There was a bit of difficulty getting up and out of the atmosphere, but that was because of the higher gravity of the Talemkha. Though everyone could move around freely, it was taxing on everyone, like they had walked a marathon through the day. The crew had gotten used to it to an extent; it was still a pain to deal with each day. They finally pulled though and headed for the Perseus, heading to hangar bay where the Sentries waited for them.

The final sheet of crystal had been secured and the sealing compound, also made of the same reinforced crystal, just finished hardening. With that done, the first part of the dome was ready to be activated. Everyone had been instructed to clear the area, as they not only wished to be clear of anything, but they also wanted to watch. Taal’ani was just going through the final checks, before turning the whole thing on.

“Are we ready?” Alex asked.

“Just a few final tweaks and checks sir. Don’t want this whole thing blowing up on us,” Taal’ani replied.

“Fair enough. Just eager to see it work.”

“As am I! This design was truly inspired sir! Looking forward to seeing it come online!” Nats enthused beside him. Alex chuckled as he drew her in with his left arm, hugging her. Kas stood nearby, waiting just as anxiously as Natalya was. Jaesa was having a quick discussion with Taal’ani as Valessa and a couple of chiefs arrived, coming down to see this grand project come alive.

“It is nearly time, Commodore?” Valessa asked, with Sohlkris standing on her right, with Luminia on her left.

“You came just in time. We are just about ready to fire it up,” Alex responded with a smile.

“Sir, we are ready now. All checks have been completed and everything is green across the board. We await your word,” Talon piped up.

“Turn it on.”

Nodding, Taal’ani went back to the controls outside the done and hit the activation sequence. At first, there was nothing, but a deep hum sounded in the bowels of the earth, before it migrated outwards, traveling along the crystalline structure. Slowly, the structure began to glow, as the heat and energy running through it spread out through each panel. As the hum reached a crescendo, it slowly petered off and was muted to a much quieter sound, which could still be heard, but was more soothing than loud.

Valessa, the chiefs and every other Artucian assembled watched with total awe as they saw the dome power up. Lights on the inside turned on, blanketing the interior with a bright daylight glow. With its activation, the temperature inside the cavern began to climb noticeably, with several Artucian fanning themselves from the heat. Some even divested themselves of their outer layers, the heat being more than enough to keep them warm.

“I would say that this has been a complete success!” Alex exulted as he looked at the structure with pride.

“Indeed sir! Power levels are steady and stable, with the crystalline structure being completely in the green! The sensors are operating at peak capacity and the temperature inside has warmed considerably!” Taal’ani reported, checking the readouts.

“How much has it warmed by?” Luminia asked.

“Look around you! You see how warm it is out here? It will be easily as toasty inside as it is out here,” Talon told the Artucian woman. Lumi looked about and saw that even the most hardened of warriors losing their most protective layers. She even noticed that the leathers she wore to keep herself warm on the surface were becoming a bit uncomfortable.

“Now that it has come online, shall we see how warm it is on the inside then?” Alex asked, directing his question to the chiefs. They all nodded, eager to see just how effective the rebuilt dome was and wanting to get out of the cold. Leading the whole procession, Alex walked to the main entrance point of double doors maybe a dozen meters in front of them.

The doors opened automatically, admitting everyone in the procession, before closing behind them. The secondary set of doors only opened after the first pair had shut, leading them into a second chamber with a third set of doors. The second set closed, and the third opened, allowing everyone inside the dome. The chiefs and the honor guard looked around in total amazement.

“This is ... this is incredible!” Sohlkris stated, the man blinking against the lights and shucking his outer layer of leathers.

“Indeed! The ice is just ... gone!” Valessa said, shocked at such a development.

“With our help, it will not only stay gone, but continue to recede with each new dome that goes up. This one will be completed before we begin work on another one,” Alex stated as he enjoyed the warmer climate.

“Which dome will be next?” Hahrdok wondered.

“Yes! I wish to know who will be the next clan you help?” Khaltani said, enthusiastic about the possibility of who was next.

“That is something that I would discuss with the rest of the chiefs, when they return. I would rather everyone come to a consensus about it, rather than just bicker and squabble over who deserves to be next. We wouldn’t be very good allies if we allowed that,” Commodore Tomisic told them gently.

“That’s a sensible way of looking at it,” Valessa agreed.

After the treaty with Unified Systems Alliance was signed, more than half of the Assembly had left, to bring news to their respective clans. The idea was to galvanize as many of the Artucian into the idea of being part of something bigger than themselves. There was the hope that many would be thrilled at the idea of no longer having to scavenge a living out of the ice. That they could all live and thrive, without having to worry about their people slowly starving.

“Now, as I believe it, we have our side of the agreement to uphold,” Alex told the remaining Assembly of Chiefs. They all looked at him quizzically when he tapped at his wrist, bringing his communicator to life. The image of Commander Sunara appeared after three beeps.

“Yes, Commodore?” she asked.

“Commander Sunara, have you completed your salvage run?” he asked.

“Yes sir. We’ve been on the ground for less than a minute. Many of the Artucian are crowding around the ship, but no one has really given us trouble. The Sentries have made their way into the cave and should be arriving soon,” she reported to him.

“Excellent! We await their and your arrival,” he said before killing the line.

The group waited less than ten minutes before the first Sentries arrived. Many Artucian were still put off by how obedient they were and how scary they looked, but some people were getting used to them. The first group finally came through the double airlocked entrance, carrying various plants and trees, with Shazza leading them. She quickly gave directions, ordering the Sentries to begin planting in certain plots of soil around the dome.

The Sentries worked quickly, making use of the tools they had all been outfitted with to do the planting. Soon, the first group had finished their jobs before the second group came through. Shazza barked a set of orders once again, and the second group moved as she bid. The Assembly and the honor guard just watched in awe as the blackish brown soil around them was soon covered with things that were green and growing.

“Our part of the bargain we made, as promised,” Alex told them with a grin. Some Artucian were speechless, while others wandered close to the plants, touching them gently.

“A promise you have made good on!” Khaltani breathed as she witnessed the small miracle happening in front of her. Inari had arrived with the third group of Sentries and took over directing them. Shazza then grabbed at a small satchel hanging at her waist and dug into it. She then brought out a tablet and entered several sequences on it, before walking over to the Assembly.

“As promised High Chieftaness, a database on every plant we have brought to you, along with directions of how to grow each one,” the black-skinned woman said, as she displayed the information to her. Some chiefs looked at the tablet, curious about it.

“Thank you ... Sergeant Shazza. Find the Keepers, as they are the ones who will be minding the plants,” she told the Xuul’khani woman.

“Before you leave ... Sergeant, I want to know something,” Hahrdok queried.

“Yes?”

“Can anyone learn about these food bearing plants?” he wondered.

“Of course! We designed the system so that such information is available to anyone who wants it,” she replied with a smile before she ambled off.

“Have a favorite vegetable already Hahrdok?” Khaltani teased.

“The fruit that humans call ... cherries,” he replied with a smirk.

Shazza headed to the central point of the dome where the rebuilt settlement was located. It was where the Keepers, Artucian who looked after the dome, were staying and had taken up residence. Since its reconstruction, some Artucian from above had opted to move down. Though it hadn’t happened yet, Shazza assumed that they whole settlement would come on down, eventually.

They were a curious people, these Artucian. The fact that they were once a highly advanced race who had regressed to an almost primitive tribalism was interesting. Now that they had allies to help reclaim that part of themselves, they jumped in with both feet, ready to run. There was also their physiology, which was interesting as well, given how adaptive it was.

She remembered stories from when she was a girl, about the monsters with four eyes that threatened their people. How they nearly killed the Xuul’khan, but how their people rallied and fought back, destroying their race utterly. There were no other tales of such people, especially with four eyes, that she was aware of. Since she had become free, Shazza had done a lot of soul searching and had come to some disturbing conclusions.

The first of which was that they had fed her lies for her entire life. That the supremacy of the Xuul’khani people, was not absolute. That other races had a right to live, to carry on, to thrive. That violence and genocide was not the answer when it came to other races. That each race had its part to play, for good or ill, no matter what. Some of these revelations were easy enough to see, while others were ... hard for her to swallow.

The one thing that had been hardest for her to accept, was that everything she was taught and had believed, was a lie. That she had wasted so much time, being a puppet to the whims of others. Being played like this angered her beyond all belief, and she wanted nothing more than vengeance on those who let this happen. More than that, she wanted to change the narrative and be the mistress of her own destiny.

It was strange, that it took the current crew of the Perseus, and that massive doctor, to help her see it all. Though she was sure that she would be imprisoned for her actions, she was shocked at being forgiven for them. That Shazza was welcomed and accepted with open arms, especially by Korsa, a woman whose race that hers had tried to exterminate.

These new feelings and emotions that she was dealing with, were not only new and exciting, but terrifying at the same time. Now, unlike the life that had been laid out for her by her former Lord, Shazza could now choose how her life would continue. She was curious if she would be able to ‘change how her story would end’, as Korsa had put it. The idea of being the one to decide her own fate, though scary, was also appealing.

She mused further on these thoughts, wondering what would come next, when she arrived in the Keeper’s district. Several of the Keepers had spotted her and were coming to greet her as she stopped. They ambled up to her, wondering what new knowledge she had for them that day.

Unlike the rest of the Artucian, who looked on her with suspicion and hostility, the Keepers were a more open lot. Of all things they valued, it was knowledge and logic, which trumped any of the legends and myths they had heard as children. Some men there eyed her in a more ... appreciative way, which she came to enjoy. Considering that most of the Keepers were men, there were a lot of looks fired her way.

“Hello everyone! I have something for you all to study! Does everyone have their tablets?” Shazza enquired. Some Keepers bolted back to their new homes and rushed back with their tablets in hand. Seeing that everyone now had their machines, she uploaded the file that Taal’ani and Jaesa had crafted, which was the whole database on the plants that had been brought down.

The file took maybe a minute or two to upload, but once it was finished, everyone tapped on the new icon in the Keeper’s mainframe. Their eyes widening, the Keepers looked over the buffet of information, each of them greedily devouring it. Some of them walked up to Shazza and hugged her, thanking the woman for the new information they were receiving. They then started talking amongst themselves, speaking about the plants they would grow and how they would grow them.

Shazza shook her head as she chuckled and left the Keepers to their own devices. As she walked away, she felt like she was being stared at and turned her head briefly. She saw a few Keepers look away from her and giggled. Shazza knew that they were staring at her ass and sighed as she enjoyed the attention.

Of all the things she had spent her time on while under her Lord’s control, sex was one of the few enjoyable things. Learning about sex and her sexual proclivities, was the one thing that she didn’t deem as a waste of her time. Sure, she had spent a lot of said times with the wrong people, but now, she had every intention of choosing the right ones. Though finding a way to express herself in that way might be a challenge, it was one she was willing to go for.

Taal’ani was sitting inside the core room, a couple of levels beneath the dome floor. The upgrades that had been done to the core and the power relays, was a serious upgrade for the dome. Natalya had done a phenomenal job in redesigning and replacing the old reactor core that was powering the dome. The original was a good design, but there were several flaws in the casing that had led to its accelerated decay.

The Artucian reactor, despite its solid design frame, seemed to be hastily cobbled together. From what Taal’ani had learned of their history, plus the additional details she had pressed Luminia for, the Artucian had rushed in creating these domes. The snows were moving in fast and her people needed to work quickly, if their people were to survive on Talemkha.

So much had been lost in the process and everyone was focused on surviving the coming winter. They had no idea that it would turn from a rough winter to an ice age. Talon shook her head in disbelief, surprised that the Artucian lasted this long, despite everything that had happened to them. Though she wasn’t a big believer in chance, it had been very fortuitous that everything had happened the way it did.

Running from the pirates, finding the Perseus, Pree getting blown out of the Perseus, the Darkstrider crash landing on Talemkha. All of it leading to the Artucian people and their slow extinction by war and starvation. Now, with the help of Commodore Tomisic and the newly remade Unified Systems Alliance, the Artucian would now have a bright future to look forward to.

Shaking her head, she did a final diagnostic on the core and all the systems that ran it. When everything came up green for the umpteenth time that day, Talon was convinced that it would hold this time. Unlike when the domes were first cobbled together, they would hold for well over several hundred years. That was Jaesa’s estimate anyway, which she was sure the AI was correct on.

Getting up, Taal’ani rubbed her semi-numb ass before walking out, letting the systems do their thing. So far, the Artucian she had tasked to learn about them were doing well and devouring every scrap of information she fed them. According to Korsa, there was something about the way their brains were wired that gave such a voracious learning and retention capacity.

She climbed up the stairs, thinking Korsa may have been a touch too excited about this, but she was a doctor. Learning new things about a new species and the way their biology worked would have excited her. Talon supposed that she would have been just as excited, if she had discovered an entirely new computer system that was different from what she knew.

Then she remembered that she had such a thing, as Jaesa was still teaching her the ins and outs of the system on the Perseus. Sure, many of the systems and protocols were similar, but there were a lot of additional minutiae that she had to learn. Taal’ani was thinking about these very things and was looking forward to getting into them until she literally ran into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed as she fell back on her ass.

“No, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have just walked into you like that! I thought I had your attention!” the woman said. Looking up, Talon saw that she had run into an Artucian woman, who had fallen back much the same way she did. She picked herself up quickly, then offered her had to help Taal’ani up. She took the offered hand and stood, getting a good look at the woman.

She was tall, for an Artucian, maybe just at six feet even. Her hair was more of a silver blonde and styled much like Luminia’s. Her eyes were also yellow, but more a muted lemon in color. She had the same sky-blue skin and alluring figure, but she was hippier and bustier, almost like Valessa was. The way she carried herself, Taal’ani could almost tell that this woman was a mother.

“Again, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt the important work you are doing ... Taali?” she asked in an almost apology.

“It’s Taal’ani. And what is your name?” she asked.

“My name is Jaiella, Taal’ani,” the Artucian woman replied.

“Well, Jaiella, you didn’t interrupt me. I was just on my way out, after making sure that the sensors and core were functioning properly. It was well done, but it doesn’t hurt to be thorough when it comes to these things, right?” she responded with a laugh.

“I’m glad to see that you take your work seriously. Might I trouble you to help me with something?” she asked cryptically.

“What might that be?”

“I need your help, with my brother,” the woman confessed.

“What is wrong with your brother? Is he in some kind of danger? If he is, you should really see...” Talon started.

“No, he isn’t in any real danger. I’m just worried about him and I’m wondering if you might be able to help him with something,” Jaiella clarified. “Specifically, with women.”

“And how exactly can I help?” Taal’ani asked, confused.

“My brother was selected to become a Keeper here in the dome some years ago. He trained and learned well and had some brilliant ideas about how he could hope to repair the dome. He is only twenty-two and isn’t a fully fledged Keeper yet, but he seems to have trouble with meeting women,” Jaiella went on.

“He seems to grasp many things about the systems and everything else you have done here to restore the dome. There are days that he won’t stop talking about it, but this kind of talk hasn’t really endeared him to the fairer sex. I’m afraid that he won’t find anyone who he could call a true mate and he’s well past the age where he should have taken an interest in someone,” Jaiella finished.

“Maybe he isn’t interested in women? It’s not a crime if he isn’t you know,” Talon suggested.

“No, I’m sure that he’s interested in women. There were certain women in our village where he would get nervous and flustered about, whenever they were near. But after they mated themselves to other men, his interest in anyone outside of family waned. her loses himself in his work and no other women seem to catch his attention, but you have,” the woman went on.

“Me?? How have I caught his attention??” Taal’ani asked, surprised.

“Well, you are a woman, who is also amazingly brilliant. Just like he is. You sound surprised.”

“Well, I am! Your brother finds me attractive?” Talon queried, shocked but also elated that other men from other species found her alluring.

“Why should it surprise you? You are a very well formed woman, with ... considerable assets, which has sparked the interest of many males. And some females,” Jaiella admitted, giving her a telling look.

“Thank you, but what exactly is it you want me to do?” Taal’ani asked.

“Oh, I am sorry! I got a little distracted from the question. If you could help my brother, by teaching him the things he needs to do to attract a woman, I wouldn’t worry so much. I have tried to talk to him, but being his older sister, he won’t listen to me. It would also help if you were seen with him, as a means of making other unmated women aware of him. If they were to see you two together in public...” Jaiella let that tidbit hang there.

“Then other women would think there is something that draws me in and how it should draw them in. I know how that works. It is done all across the galaxy, by women of every other species,” Taal’ani smirked.