//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Thunder of Celestia 
// by Cabochard 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2


Thunder woke the next morning, in his lavishly furnished room on the ship, to the sound of the engines turning on. He sat up groggily and checked the clock on his wall. 8:00. Thunder’s mind immediately went into full alert, and he jumped out of his bed, almost slamming into the low roof. He threw on his captain’s overcoat and rushed to the elevator, where he sat for a minute or two pushing the button for the elevator repeatedly, as if that would speed it up. When the elevator finally arrived he dashed in, hit the button for the bridge, and paced along the six cubic feet of the elevator for the three minutes it took to get there. When he finally got there, he ran to the command pulpit, and was rewarded with a strange look from everybody. Harmonica was standing right next to the pulpit, so Thunder leaned over to talk to her.

“Sorry I’m late, but can you really leave without my order?” he asked, barely speaking louder than a whisper.

“Huh? What are you talking about? It’s only 7:30; we’re just testing the primary plasma engines to make sure that they won’t explode on us. Apple Bloom requested it; she really takes her work seriously.” was the answer. 

So Thunder was left standing there, looking like an idiot. Not a great appearance for a captain. He made a mental note to reset his clock, then hung his head and tried not to draw attention as they ran the tests, shut down the engines, and started running diagnostics on all the other ship’s systems. He took the time to examine the bridge, as he hadn’t been able to during all the excitement the day before.

The bridge was shaped like a regular trapezoid, with the command pulpit standing right in front of the elevator at the center of the long end. The pulpit looked like a regular announcement podium, except for the touch screen on the top and the restraints that would keep the captain from going flying through the bridge at the slightest shock. It looked to be wooden, but was most likely steel on the interior, to keep it from smashing. To the right of the pulpit sat the first mate’s chair, with several holographic computer screens sitting in front of it. It looked like the most comfortable chair in the bridge, but that came with large responsibilities. The first mate would have to take over if the captain could no longer command. She would also have to ensure everything ran according to the captain’s specifications, as well as being able to communicate with the other decks via holocomm. The command pulpit and first mate’s chair were slightly raised over everything else by way of the raised platform on which they were positioned. In front of and slightly to the right of the first mate’s chair, at a slight 45 degree angle so that the officer in it could talk to the officers in charge, was the comms seat. It too had holographic screens, although they seemed to be more geared to watching chatter between other ships and throughout the ship. Mist sat there, pretending to be absorbed into her work, although Thunder could tell she was just playing an old fashioned game of Space Raiders. She seemed to be a pretty good player as she had yet to lose a single life. Mirroring the comms officer’s position was the navigator’s chair. It looked identical, although the officer sitting at it was actually working. Star Chaser appeared to be playing with the computer’s settings and correcting some of the math that would help with FTL travel (Faster Than Light travel, extremely complicated, requires extremely advanced math). Towards the sides of the ship were plenty of other positions, where the ponies were hooking themselves directly to the computer. Probably the guns positions, since the Lt. appeared to be patrolling them.

Thunder heard a small beep from Mist’s position and she yelled, annoyingly loud “Incoming transmission from command, sir! Should I put it through?”

“Yes, yes, put it through.” Thunder answered, shifting from the flustered pony that had entered to the smooth officer in command. The face of the Captain of the Royal Guard appeared, and Thunder immediately saluted.

“At ease soldier, you don’t have to salute me anymore. You’re a captain too now, remember?” Shining Armor’s voice came through, with its usual less-than-official tone. “I’m here for two reasons. First I’m supposed to congratulate you on your command, again, and second, I’m supposed to give you your first mission. So, congratulations! How are you doing?” he sounded legitimately concerned when he asked.

“Pretty well, sir, considering who the officers are. I do have one question though. Sir, why are Rainbow Dash, and the 5th Royal Guard regiment, here?” asked Thunder, glad for the concern.

“It has to do with your mission. Where did I put it?” The Captain’s face disappeared as he searched the files on his desk. “Aha, here it is! You’re going to the Segmentum Solaris, where you will quell a small rebellion. Shouldn’t be that complicated, but we figured you should get something simple for your first mission. The 5th regiment will be accompanying you for two reasons. First, the Segmentum Solaris is one of Celestia’s favorite areas of space, so we need to send some of her elite to take care of rebellion, to show we are paying attention. Secondly, as you are now flying a flagship of the empire, you’re going to get one permanently posted regiment. Lady Dash requested her company be considered for the position, and she’s going with you to find out if she really wants it. Any more questions?”

“No, sir. We’ll be casting off immediately.” Thunder saluted as the communication was ended and he immediately shouted, “All right ponies; let’s find out if this thing is all it’s made out to be! Startup engines and get us to the Segmentum Solaris at once!”

“Yes sir!” shouted all the officers, and a wave of chatter started up as Mist requested permission to leave, Star Chaser programmed the computer for the Warp jump and took the controls, turning on the engines, and Harmonica told Apple Bloom what was going on. 

“Get me the ship intercom!” he yelled to Mist, over all the chatter. She dutifully turned it on, and Thunder cleared his throat and spoke. “All right, stallions and mares. We are now officially beginning the maiden voyage of the Celestia. If you have a bottle of champagne you were saving for a special occasion, open it now.” He paused, and continued. “The trip will take about a week, so get prepared for a fight when we arrive. We will be dealing with rebels. Standard anti-rebel protocols will be in place. Rebel spies are to be executed upon confirmation, defectors are placed in holding cells until it is confirmed they are not spies, and prisoners are to be treated well, but also well-guarded. Captain Thunder out.” With that, he turned off the intercom and strapped himself in for the long flight to the Segmentum Solaris.