Project Prometheus Ch. 65 - Teaser (Patreon)

As the heavy doors of the Khontaran embassy sealed shut behind them, the crew of the Darkstrider finally allowed themselves to relax, if only a little. The tension of their narrow escape from the Federation Secret Services still lingered in the air, like the faint hum of a barely dormant engine.

They were safe for now, but the weight of what they had been through clung to them. Natalya brushed a lock of her coiled hair behind her ear, glancing at Alex. His muscular frame was usually unshakable, but even he looked a little rattled. Still, the glint in his eyes betrayed his relief at having made it out.

The group gathered in a loose circle inside the embassy’s dimly lit foyer, the soft ambient lighting a welcome contrast to the chaos they’d just left behind. Inari and Priya exchanged weary smiles, while  the others all sat down, taking a moment to process what had just happened. Commander Shayara stood a few paces away, still vigilant, her eyes scanning the room.

“Glad we made it,” Natalya said, her voice soft but steady. Alex nodded in agreement, his large hand resting reassuringly on her shoulder. The relief was palpable—until Inari cleared her throat.

“There’s something you need to know,” she said, her voice tinged with a seriousness that cut through the room like a knife. Natalya and Alex exchanged puzzled glances, the tension quickly creeping back into their spines.

“What is it?” Alex asked, his tone cautious. Priya stepped forward, her usually light-hearted expression grim.

“It’s about Shazza and Kasumi,” she began, her voice low. “They found something. Something big. In the tunnels under Undertown.”

“What did they find?” Natalya asked, her voice barely above a whisper as her heart skipped a beat.

“A Prime outpost,” Korsa said, her words sending a shockwave through the room.

Alex’s eyes widened in disbelief, and Natalya’s breath hitched in her throat. The Primes were ancient, nearly mythological beings—long believed to be extinct. Their advanced technology had been scattered across the galaxy, mostly in ruins or lost to time. The discovery of a functional Prime outpost was beyond shocking.

“An outpost?” Natalya repeated, her voice faltering. “Are you sure?”

“Prime tech, and… a living Prime. Held in a stasis pod deep in the tunnels. Shazza and Kasumi stumbled onto it by accident,” Zuzanna explained, detailing what had happened while Alex and Natalya had been detained.

The silence that followed was deafening. Alex shook his head, running a hand through his short-cropped hair. “A living Prime… this changes everything,” he muttered.

Natalya’s mind raced. If there was a Prime outpost hiding beneath the surface of Terra Nova, then who knew what other secrets were buried in the planet’s depths? The Primes were known for their advanced technology—tech that could reshape the balance of power in the galaxy.

But more than that, they were thought to be gone, wiped out in the distant past. A living Prime meant that everything they believed about the galaxy’s history, everything they knew, or thought they knew, could and likely would change. What said change would be was unknown, but what she did know was that it would be monumental.

“What else could be down there?” Natalya wondered aloud, her eyes dark with concern. “What else could have been missed?”