Genesis or Exodus

Chapter three.

Lauren jabbed her finger onto the button for the third time and waited for a response. She had stopped outside the Commanders state room on the way to her own, feeling the need to apologise for her attitude earlier, but now she was getting angry all over again. Is she seriously going to ignore me! Pretty damn childish!

The Matriarch pondered whether she had been rude enough to deserve this kind of behaviour and shook her head, dismissing the thought almost as soon as she thought of it. Bo Dennis had been equally confrontational and everything that she had said during their first meeting had been factual and honest. It wasn't her fault that the soldier hadn't liked her statements about her beloved Alliance.

Lauren pushed the button again, feeling like a complete idiot standing outside in the deserted corridor. She accessed her bracelet control console and asked the ship to scan the room for life signs before using her master code to open the door and confirming that the living quarters were missing one necessary element... the commander. The Matriarch switched to Comms and hailed her second in command on the bridge.

"Hale, one of our visitors seems to have gotten lost on their way to their accommodations, please tell me you have eyes on the wandering Commander!" Lauren waited impatiently for a reply which seemed longer than the few seconds it actually was.

"Affirmative, Matriarch. I have been monitoring her movements."

Lauren sighed, "And..."

"And she is behaving herself as she takes in her surroundings and isn't interfering with the Orai and their work," Hale responded calmly.

"Where is she, Hale?" Lauren barked impatiently, knowing that her friend was being purposely obtuse.

She heard him sigh, "Commander Dennis is in the research and storage library, Matriarch."

"And you didn't contact me immediately because..."

"Because all the Commander has been doing is observing, she hasn't touched anything or bothered any of the Orai." Hale's tone changed, "Lauren, I implore you to get some rest. It has been several cycles since you have had any decent rest. I will keep my eye on our wayward visitor and ensure that she doesn't get into any trouble and I will inform you as soon as she gets to her sleeping quarters. Okay?"

Lauren switched from regular voice Comms to visual and audio so that Hale could see her face, "Not fair using the best friend voice, Hale. Not fair at all."

His response was to smile wide at The Matriarch. "Does that mean you'll go and get some rest, so I stop worrying?"

Lauren was already heading to her quarters, "As soon as she gets back, Hale... to the second, you hear me?"

He smiled again, "To the second, I promise. Rest well, Matriarch."'

Lauren didn't respond. She just gave him a small smile in return before terminating the transmission. She had a quick wash and changed into her night attire and crawled under the covers of her bed. It didn't take long for the exhaustion that she had been holding at bay to overcome her, sending her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Bo had been navigating through the seemingly endless corridors on her hover disc, her anger and frustration at their ungrateful host subsiding, when she had come across one of those strange creatures upon turning a corner. She had expertly slowed down and had trailed silently behind the furry creature. If the Orai registered her presence, it never acknowledged it. After a while Bo considered just heading to her room as the Orai continued to shuffle along corridor after corridor, but just before she was about to change course, the orange fuzzy Orai accessed a keypad and entered a room. Bo sped up and managed to slip inside before the room closed behind the Matriarch's little minion. Bo deactivated her hover disc and with a little flick of her foot caught the inactive device in her hand and slipped it into her pocket and pulled out the data pad instead. Accessing the map showed her to be in a zone marked only as LR1 with 'authorised personnel' flashing below it. Bo ignored the warning and put the tablet back into her pocket and for the first time took in her surroundings.

Her eyes widened as she turned around in a circle. "Whoa," was all the Commander could manage as she started to walk further into the massive room that was filled with dozens upon dozens of Orai working on various different machines and computers. This room had to be larger than the hangar and Bo wondered just how big Genesis was. None of the Orai looked up or paid any attention to Bo as she walked past them looking over their heads at what they were doing. There were giant vats filled with different coloured liquids and Bo was sure that she had seen things floating around in some of them. She jumped in surprise when one of the huge cylindrical containers was sent up into the air and whisked away into the distance to join the thousands of other containers that lined the walls. She couldn't even count the rows or fathom a guess on how many vessels were stored there.

Bo moved into the next row of furiously working Orai and saw a myriad of smaller vats, each filled with different unknown and wondrous creatures. No distinct details were clear because of the thick liquids that the specimens were being kept in, so she was unable to see clearly what lay inside. Bo glanced at one of the data screens to get a clearer picture of what floated inside these containers, but found the language was not recognizable to her so she continued to just watch silently as the Matriarch's little workers observed, analysed and reported their findings in near silence. The only sounds were mechanical as vats were moved from the workstations back to storage, the gurgling sounds of the thick liquid in those vats and the things that were moving and growing within them.

A gushing sound and several clicking sounds from a couple of Orai had her moving quickly to see what the commotion was about. Bo saw one of the vats draining and gawped at the creature that was left flopping around at the base. Another liquid replaced the bright orange-yellow goo, which Bo concluded was probably water as the creature started to swim around in it, no longer distressed. Sparks of electricity flowed up and down the blue, oblong body of the aquatic creature as it swam around the confines of its prison. Hundreds of thin tendrils reached out and stuck to the glass as Bo watched it in fascination. Without realising she moved closer to the glass mesmerized by the sparking tendrils that were growing and spreading across the surface of the container. Suddenly and without warning the tendrils pulled the creature's body against the glass to reveal it's mouth with rows upon rows of tiny needle like teeth. Bo jumped back as a spiked barb struck the vessel housing the creature causing it to crack. Several clicks and snorts from the Orai had the vat being drained once more to be replaced with another liquid that froze the creature within, before it could completely break through the container.

A beeping from her pocket had Bo fumbling for the tablet. She saw a nice looking man looking at her when she swiped her finger across the screen. "Perhaps you have seen enough for now, Commander Dennis. Myself or Matriarch Lewis would be more than happy to give you a tour of some of the wonders of the Genesis at a more convenient hour."

Bo gave the man a sheepish smile, "You've been keeping tabs on me the whole time, haven't you, Mr..."

"Hale, ma'am. Hale Santiago. And yes, I have."

"Well, Hale. After what I have just seen, I must say that I am incredibly curious to learn more about this ship, but I very much doubt that The Matriarch will be eager to show me around."

Bo smiled again when Hale chuckled, "She may surprise you, Commander Dennis. The Matriarch is not accustomed to a lot visitors, unless you count all the pirates that continually try to board and take over Genesis. She may take a while to warm up to sharing her ship with you."

"Our first meeting didn't exactly go well and she made it crystal clear that she is not happy with the alliance interfering in her business."

"She is a complex and proud woman, Commander Dennis and she is also my best friend. I want her safe and if she has to put up with a bunch of alliance soldiers in order to stay safe and alive, so be it! She will be worth the patience you will require to get to know her, I promise. Now, I'm afraid you should be expecting her shortly after arriving at your living quarters."

Bo actually winced at his words and Hales laughter echoed throughout the room as Bo began to head back the way she had come. "So she knows about my detour as well? That's just perfect! Now I know why you have just given me the pep talk about patience." Bo sighed as Hale just looked expectantly at her and didn't say anything. "I'll try, but no promises."

"Good enough. Thank you for listening, Commander."

"Please call me Bo. You aren't a part of my squad."

"Very well... Bo. Thank you and I am sure we will talk soon."

Bo nodded, "For the tour, perhaps?"

"Of course, though no one knows this ship better that The Matriarch."

"Don't hold your breath, Hale, you'll turn blue," Bo retorted before ending the communication. She put the tablet away after checking the directions that she needed to follow to get to her room before activating her hover disc and racing off down the deserted corridors...

Hale, true to his word, had awoken Lauren almost as soon as Bo had arrived from her excursion and The Matriarch checked the time as she dragged herself out of bed and splashed some cold water on her face. She had gotten a couple of hours sleep and Lauren instantly noticed the difference to her energy and mood levels. The Ecological Engineer and Explorer had been overworking herself for quite some time and she knew that she couldn't keep up the pace she had been doing forever and that perhaps the visitors could be a blessing in disguise to distract her for a while. Hale always told her that she took too many of the ships responsibilities on herself and that she should designate more of the Orai to help her. Lauren knew he was right, but she had always felt that the wellbeing and the running of Genesis fell to her. It was her legacy after all, her life mission to be the keeper of the galaxy's secrets and sources of biological life from planets that were still here, alive and prospering, to the planets and species long dead and forgotten. That burden fell on her and her alone.

Bo said, "enter", allowing The Matriarch admittance into her quarters and she was momentarily breathless as she took in the loose fitting pants and the tight tank top, both in a light powder blue and the golden hair that flowed around her shoulders. Bo also registered the small smile that formed on her mouth, the first sign of a more pleasant, less uptight and arrogant aspect of the woman in front of her. She truly is a beautiful woman. She certainly looks a lot more approachable in her night clothes and I hope that I can manage a few more of those smiles as well.

Lauren looked down at her attire before looking back at the Commander. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?," Lauren asked. She saw something in Bo Dennis' scrutiny that surprised her. There was a certain heat to her gaze that suggested that the Commander found her appearance desirable and she found her heart rate rising at the fact that this woman's carnal need may match her own.

She allowed her own gaze, to take in Bo's appearance. The soldier had removed the heavy armour and was just in the skin tight body mesh worn beneath it. Her body appeared curvaceous, yet muscular beneath her second skin. Lauren felt her body respond and she forced her eyes up to Bo's face and their eyes locked with a powerful mutual understanding that rocked her. Lauren closed those feelings down and looked away from that heavy, knowing gaze and cleared her throat. She needed to get things back in control and now! "Did you enjoy your foray at exploring my ship without permission?" Lauren said it without anger, but she knew Bo's hackles would rise anyway and she was right...

Bo was equally surprised by what had just transpired, but that moment hadn't lasted long. And then she speaks, Bo thought to herself before retorting with, "I had a grand old time! Thanks so much for asking. Just get your lecture over with so that I can get some rack time. I haven't slept in a decent bed for a very long time and I still want to unpack some of my stuff.

Lauren glanced at the open crate and all the weapons that lay within. "That's an impressive amount of firepower. I was a little concerned about what type of bodyguard the alliance had sent when I saw the primitive weapon you walked out of your shuttle with."

This woman is infuriating! Bo picked up her favourite gun. "This is anything but a primitive weapon! What do you even know about weapons? You are a scientist and play with plants and animals all day! And for your information, I am the best of the best, lady! The alliance must think very highly of you to send me and my team, though for the life of me, I can't imagine why they would even bother!" Bo saw the flash of hurt in Lauren's eyes that was there for only a split second before arrogance and defiance replaced it and matched her own.

"That is a PK-345 Assault Rifle and in your crate I can see a PK-3 Pistol, equally primitive, and then there is the Plasma Canon, Several A-Class laser weapons and several dozen Proton Grenades. Have I left anything out?!" Lauren's jaw was set and Bo could see the muscles twitching beneath the wonderful high cheekbones. The Matriarch had also impressed her with the knowledge of her weapons. She was definitely not going to let the glorified librarian know that she was impressed though!

Bo picked up her so called 'primitive weapons'. "These guns are not primitive. I have modified them to be anything but primitive," Bo responded defensively.

An eyebrow went up in interest, "modified, how?"

Bo ejected the ammunition clip and popped out one of each of the rounds that were inside."

Lauren leaned closer to look at the interesting looking bullets that Bo held in her hand. "Modified ammunition."

"Yes and the clip can hold two different kinds at once. Using this switch I can choose to shoot incendiary rounds or these acid rounds. I also have armour piercing rounds, Cryo rounds and electrostatic rounds and all can be shot from this gun. Unlike the plasma and laser guns that have a tendency to overheat and require time to charge, these primitive guns with its mechanical parts, rarely fails me and that is why I brought it out of my shuttle with me."

Lauren nodded, a small smile forming, "I stand corrected. Your modifications are impressive."

Bo pulled out a small contraption that Lauren could not have possibly seen from her position. "You missed this." Bo smiled as Lauren's face showed that she didn't know what Bo was holding in her hand. Understandable because there were very few in existence, but she reveled in the look of non-recognition and curiosity regardless. She strapped the device onto her wrist, allowing the two concealed spikes to pierce her skin and felt the nanomites join her to the apparatus. She spied a glass sitting beside the sink in the adjoining bathroom and held her arm out in that direction and activated the device.

A rope of energy leapt out and encircled the glass. Bo flicked her wrist and brought the glass hurtling towards her. If it wasn't for her superior reflexes the glass would have smashed into her face instead of in her free hand. Bo looked up to see fascination and awe on the Matriarch's face and she smiled at the look she had managed to induce. "Obviously, I use it for larger objects when I'm in battle and I try to use it sparingly because it draws on my own energy, but it has gotten me out of some sticky situations in the past. It's kind of new to my arsenal, Vex and I worked on it for a while to get it right. I wish I had had it earlier, it could have prevented...," Bo's voice trailed off.

Lauren watched the soldier as she got lost in her memories and the blonde deduced that it was probably memories of her and Bruce's capture, though she couldn't be certain, so chose to remain silent.

"It's called The Lassso by my team," Bo said with a small smile when she was able to squash the images that had invaded her.

Lauren watched as Bo removed the contraption and noted the marks it left on her arm that disappeared after about a minute, fully healed. "It converges with the nanomites. Remarkable!," Lauren blurted before she could stop herself.

If the comment and the look on The Matrairch's face hadn't been so adorable, Bo would have been angry because it was obvious that one of the team had revealed her unique qualities to the woman who was affecting her with every nanosecond she spent in her presence. "Someone's been chatty," Bo said and the Matriarch managed to surprise her again by defending whoever it was.

"I pretty much forced it out of them by telling them that if you didn't get the vaccination and microchip you would inevitably die in the next attack on this ship. Which is true. So please do not punish your team for looking out for you."

"It's just a very private thing. Not many people know about me, besides my team and the council. Hell, there is only one doctor left alive from the top secret project and that is because he is the nephew of one of the council members, otherwise he would have been terminated as well!"

"Your secret is safe with me, Commander Dennis," Lauren responded softly.

"Please call me Bo."

There was more to the soldier than meets the eye and Lauren was curious about not only the scientific aspect of what made Bo unique, but also what lay beyond the battle hardened exterior of a warrior to the woman inside. "I can administer the antidote required to be unaffected by Genesis' first line of defence by other means if necessary, but you will barely feel the pressurised hypodermic being administered, I swear. Everyone has fears, whether they reveal them or not."

Bo sighed, the woman who had been so abrasive at their first meeting was completely different from the understanding woman sitting across from her. "You were told about where my ridiculous fear stems from?" Bo looked at Lauren intently.

"A little, yes. And it isn't ridiculous... Bo."

The alliance soldier was not prepared for how hearing the Matriarch using her name would feel. You are being ridiculous, Bo Dennis. She is just a woman! An annoying, arrogant, bossy, but incredibly beautiful woman. Get over this insane attraction, right now!

Lauren continued to speak, not noticing Bo's unusual reaction to her saying her name. "I have read about that form of torture and it is incredible that you survived it at all without permanent physical damage. A fear of needles is tiny compared to the scars you could have been left with."

"So that's how you know about the nanomites? Because you couldn't understand why on the outside I bore no marks of what I had to endure?" Lauren nodded in response and waited patiently hoping that Bo would open up a little more.

They just sat in silence, looking at one another, both showing on their faces that the comfortable feeling was unexpected to say the least. Bo wasn't a big sharer. She liked to keep her feelings and her personal experiences, painful or otherwise, to herself, but she had the urge to share herself with the Matriarch, if for nothing else, but to have her see that she wasn't just an alliance puppet.

Lauren decided to push just a little in an effort to learn something that had been bothering her since hearing Bruce's story. "How did they manage to capture you in the first place, may I ask? And how did they manage to keep you imprisoned for so long before you could escape?"

Bo gave Lauren a small smile, "While I am more resilient than most because of the nanomites, I'm not invincible. It was a paralysis grenade that caught Bruce and I off guard during a sweep of some ruins that were supposed to be free of insurgents. I let my guard down believing that the area was clear, I got complacent... It was my fault. I was drugged and weakened while I was chained and tortured. The nanomites focused on keeping the physical damage I endured from causing lasting, permanent damage. That's why it took longer for me to become immune to the drugs they were using to weaken me." Bo laughed a bitter laugh, "I know that the methods of administering vaccines and whatnot are nothing like the primitive tools they used to stab me in the eyes. I know that, I do! It's just my mind that makes it difficult to compartmentalise the fact that you won't be using anything like what they used. They are scars that the nanomites cannot heal."

Lauren pulled out a small black case from her loose bed pants, "Will you allow me to perform the necessary procedures on you?"

"Now?" Lauren nodded. "Tell me what these defences are first."

The Matriarch proceeded to tell Bo about the Genesis' first line of defence.

"Okay, so that's what the antidote is for. What is the microchip for?"

"The Genesis will release different animals onto the ship if the trespassers are wearing suits that prevent them from breathing the ship's air supply and catching the various illness' released. The creatures will not attack anyone with an active chip. There are also ways, with the use of some special optical and neural implants, to actually control the animals to help them search out and destroy anyone who threatens Genesis."

Bo was actually impressed and said, "What the hell do you need us for, then?"

Lauren laughed and this time it was just music to Bo's ears without all the arrogance and attitude behind it. "I had an accident on my last exploration endeavour. I almost died before Hale could get me back aboard Genesis. He and the Alliance did not want to risk that happening again and I refuse to stop exploring and finding new data and specimens for my archive. And that is why you are here. To protect me when I am off this ship and a little more vulnerable to accidents and unforeseen events that may put my life at risk."

"I'm surprised that you just admitted that the most powerful being in the universe may actually need some help," Bo responded and she instantly knew that she had just shattered the easy going communication that they had been enjoying. The Matriarch turned from warm and companionable to icy and unapproachable in seconds.

"Yes... Well, I don't have to like it. I still think they are overreacting and this whole thing is an inconvenience to say the very least. I will just do the vaccination and insert the chip and go, or if you prefer to do it with your team in the morning I will take my leave now."

How did it go tits up so quickly?, Bo asked herself. She hadn't meant the comment to be insulting, but to someone so proud and unaccustomed to having people question her authority and power, it had come across that way. "Look, Lauren. I didn't mean..."

The clenched and twitching jaw was back in full force, "Just decide so I can go and we can both get some sleep and forget that I even bothered to try to make an effort to treat you as anything more than a pain in my ass!"

Bo could tell that Lauren wanted nothing more than to get out of her sight, so that made her decision easy. "I would like you to do it now if you wouldn't mind. I think it would be easier if I just got it out of the way. Thanks ever so much." Bo's voice dripped with fake pleasantries and her smile was forced and Lauren stood for a moment in uncertainty.

Lauren knew that Bo was getting her to do it now because the soldier sensed that she wanted to flee and she also saw that she had paled because of what was coming. The Matriarch felt that she may have overreacted to Bo's comment about needing help, but she would not apologise even though she kind of wanted to. Her pride wouldn't allow it and she approached Bo and proceeded to do what she had to do with mechanical professionalism and only spoke if she needed to. Lauren had let her guard down and she had let the commander see that she wasn't just a bossy and arrogant guardian of the Genesis. She had attempted to get to know the alliance soldier against her better judgement. I won't make that mistake again!, she thought. "Move your hair so that I can make the small incision in your neck for the chip, please."

Even as Lauren had the thought, her body once again reacted to the woman sitting closely beside her. Her fingers traced over Bo's neck lightly, moving a few remaining strands of hair that the commander hadn't caught. Lauren finished up the process as quickly as she could because she realised that ignoring Bo was not going to be that simple. She had already managed to make an impression and peak her curiosity and attention. Bo had already put cracks in her shields and was crawling all over her skin...