Chapter 16: Breaking In
Apple Bloom hadn't left the shuttle since the prison ship had taken off. Rainbow Dash left occasionally for some reason or another. At the moment, Jet Stream was still passed out on her bunk while Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom sat at the helm. "How are we going to do this?" asked Rainbow Dash. "If she is on the prison deck, there probably isn't anything we can do for her right now. It's been a while since I traveled as a prisoner, but I think she should be alright. They probably won't feed her, but the trip should only last two days, so she won't be starving to death anytime soon."
"What will happen to her once the ship reaches the Ice House?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Well... if she isn't particularly tough, she'll probably die in the first week. That's what they call the 'culling,' where all but the strongest inmates are killed off. I guess around two thirds of the inmates I arrived with died in that time frame" explained Rainbow Dash. "I'm sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear, but the main point of the ice house and the reaper corps is to eventually kill the inmates."
Apple Bloom was scared for her friend now more than ever. But she couldn't break down now. She had to trust in Scootaloo to survive. At least long enough for her to find a way to get Scootaloo out of there. But if she was going to pull this off, she would need to know what she was dealing with.
Rainbow Dash explained everything she knew about the Ice House as best as she could. The kill switches, the layout, the training schedule, and the security. Apple Bloom wasn't really one for coming up with great ideas, she was more of a doer than a thinker. That was more of Sweetie Belle's thing; if only she could be here right now.
"Even if you did find a way to get her out of there, she would be wearing a kill switch of some sort" said Jet Stream who had just gotten out of her bunk.
"I suppose we should start with those kill switches then" suggested Apple Bloom. "We'll think of a way to sneak her out afterwards. If I could find a way into their battle net, I might be able to find a way to turn them off. But if hacking a military network were an easy task, I'm sure the Dominion would have fallen long ago" said Apple Bloom.
"The Dominion hacks the Confederate network all the time" said Rainbow Dash. "I'd know, I've been on a few raids where we caught them completely off guard by hacking their networks. And you seem to be pretty skilled considering you were the only one who could successfully remove that data core in the first place. If you could do that, I'm sure you could find a way into the Dominion battle net."
"The Dominion has some of the best equipment in the sector when it comes to cyber warfare" explained Apple Bloom. "They did the best job of reverse engineering terran computer networks from adjutant data cores. Unless you have a terran data core with you right now that I could tinker with, I don't think I'll be hacking anything anytime soon. And even if you did it would take months, maybe years to learn enough from it to actively hack the Dominion battle net from the outside."
"That's too bad, because the data core we recovered is on this ship. The Mar Sara DSP staff wasn't able to decode the information on the data core."
"Their staff are idiots" Apple Bloom commented bitterly.
"No arguments here. But since the Torus DSP has a research station and some very knowledgeable staff on board, they'll attempt to decode it there" explained Rainbow Dash.
"Hold it!" interrupted Apple Bloom. "They're going to decode it on the Torus DSP? As in, the DSP over the planet Torus? As in, the planet Torus that the Ice House is located on, and probably runs the Dominion battle net that controls the kill switches?
"Yes, that's what I said" replied Rainbow Dash.
"I need that data core!" demanded Apple Bloom.
Jet Stream started a sentence. "But didn't you just say it would take you months of tinkering with that thing to-"
"-learn enough to hack it from the outside" finished Apple Bloom. "Hacking from the inside is a different story. And if they're going to be trying to decode that data core, then that data core is my ticket inside their battle net."
"That would be useful, but how exactly do you plan on getting it? It's not like you can just walk up to the guards and ask for it. And even if you did steal it, I'm sure they'd arrest everyone on the ship, and turn it upside down by the time we arrived at Torus. I don't think a missing data core is something that is going to go unnoticed" said Jet Stream.
"I'd only need it for a few hours, and we won't arrive on Torus for at least a couple of days. As long as we put it back before we arrive on Torus, I doubt they'll notice its gone."
"If you say so, but how do we get in the first place?" asked Jet Stream.
"This ship was meant to transport prisoners, not precious cargo. Since they didn't have anywhere particularly secure that wasn't already filled with prisoners, I had to bring it to the captains quarters" said Rainbow Dash. "He'll probably keep it in there for the rest of the trip. I saw him put it in one of his sock drawers."
"You were in his quarters?" asked Jet Stream. "Don't tell me you and him."
"He's the only one on the ship who had authorization to turn off my kill switch! I hadn't taken the suit off in two weeks and I really needed a shower! Besides... he was really cute." said Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah he was!" said Apple Bloom. "I got look at him while we were coming on board. And come on Jet Stream, you can't deny the smell wasn't starting to get to all of us."
"I know, but I didn't want to say anything" said Jet Stream.
"About the smell or the captain?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Can we stop talking about the Captain?" requested Jet Stream. "How are we going to get that data core out of his room?"
"I'll volunteer!" said Rainbow Dash. "It's a tall order, but I'm willing to take one for the team."
"Umm... maybe I should go instead?" suggested Apple Bloom. "You wouldn't have anywhere to put it with the suit still on."
"I can take it off when he turns off the kill switch. It'll slip right in" said Rainbow Dash.
"Please... please for the love of Celestia, tell me you two are talking about the data core" said Jet Stream.
Sovereign and Sweetie Belle found themselves in yet another casino. This time they weren't here to play the tables, but to find a merchant instead. It was a place known for attracting space traveling ponies who were looking for a place to relax. Their efforts to find a merchant willing to buy the dresses had been an easy task, but finding a merchant willing to smuggle two strangers off world had proven more difficult.
Korhal Security had really stepped up on all transports entering and leaving the planet. While independent merchants could still bribe their way through security if they wanted to, the cost of doing so was now so extravagant it was cheaper just to pay the tariffs. Even then, it was still a massive risk that just wasn't worth it for most merchants.
While they weren't gambling, being in a casino still made Sovereign nervous. They had already been to every casino twice now, and some three times. Sweetie Belle assured the timid stallion that once they found a ship, they would get off the world by tomorrow morning for sure. Even so, it was getting very dangerous. Some of the casino patrons started to remember their names, as well as their reputation as card sharks. If people were starting to remember them, then that means they had attracted too much attention already.
Sweetie Belle was at one of the tables, mingling with some of the patrons, hoping to find out if any of them were ship captains. She knew Sovereign still wasn't much for conversation, so she insisted he just enjoy himself and let her do the talking. Sovereign watched her from one of the bars across the casino, enjoying a drink. He hadn't been much of a drinker when he was in the Khala, but being exposed to all the vices and temptations of normal Koprulu society had loosened him up quite a bit. He was pleased to see that even though Sweetie had a number of much more expensive and fancier dresses to wear, she still usually wore the one he had stolen for her. It was a kind sentiment if nothing else.
"Sovereign! Long time no see!" said a familiar voice. To Sovereigns surprise, it was the voice of Fix It, a crewman on a Kel Morian trade vessel he had met a few months ago. "We were looking for you back on Raydin IV, but word was you just disappeared."
"Yeah, you could say that," replied Sovereign. Sovereign realized that perhaps he could use this to his advantage. He did help get that ships crew on their feet, perhaps they would return the favor? "It's good to see you again Fix It. I don't suppose I could speak to the captain?"
It took Fix It a few moments to reply. "There was a pirate raid... sort of. More of a betrayal really. He didn't make it."
"I'm sorry to hear that" replied Sovereign. "Who is captain now?"
"You're looking at him. Whatever you needed to ask him, feel free to ask me," answered Fix It.
"Ok. I was hoping you could help me and a friend... acquaintance of mine get off world. I'm trying to get back to Consortium Space, but we need to avoid any Dominion encounters. At least until we get off of Korhal," said Sovereign.
"That could be difficult. K-sec (Korhal Security) has really stepped up security lately," replied Fix It.
"I know that. Listen, I'm asking you as a friend. We really need to get out of Dominion space. Name your price, we'll pay it," pleaded Sovereign.
Fix It wasn't an idiot. He knew that if Sovereign was this desperate, something extremely illegal was about to happen. Something that could cost Fix It his ship, or worse. "Listen kid, I want to help you out. Celestia knows you helped us, but what you're asking... I don't think I can risk it right now."
Before Sovereign could respond, another voice asked, "Sovereign, who is this?" It was the voice of Sweetie Belle. The short chubby earth pony eyed her up and down, clearly admiring the beauty of the white coated unicorn.
Sovereign began his sentence, "this is-"
Before he could finish, Fix It interrupted with, "Captain Fix it at your service ma'am."
"At our service? Well I know just how you can be of service," said Sweetie Belle. "Do you by any chance have a ship that can take us off world?"
"I take it you're the acquaintance Sovereign mentioned?" asked Fix it.
"So I'm an acquaintance? I see," she said as she gave Sovereign a glance. Sovereign wasn't sure what to think about the look she had just given him. Was she angry, insulted, didn't really care? "Yes I am his 'acquaintance.' About the ship though."
"Yeah I have one, but like I told him, I can't do any smuggling right now. Security is too tight," he answered. "Sovereign is a friend, and I'd do it for free if I could, but right now I just can't. I'm sorry."
Sweetie Belle didn't answer directly. Instead she just turned around and began to whisper a song to herself.
Show kindness to your neighbor
Please lend them a hand
Let them lean on your shoulder
when they can not stand.
Help us off this world
Let us use your ship
Be a helpful captain
Take us on a trip.
"Umm... ma'am are you alright?" asked Fix It.
"I'm fine." Sweetie Belle turned around again and asked the captain. "Are you sure you can't find a way to help us out? We would really appreciate your help."
Every bit of common sense in his brain was telling him to say no. This wasn't the first time a pretty mare had tried to get the better of him using puppy eyes or a sob story, but something was different. Somehow he was being compelled to say yes.
"Alright alright. The crew is staying here a couple of days to let off some steam and have some fun. Celestia knows they need it after what happened a few weeks back," said Fix It.
"How exactly did your captain die?" asked Sovereign.
"We hired the Diamond Dogs as an escort service through Consortium space," said Fix It. "But the guards decided they wanted to help themselves to some extra profit, and demanded we hand over ten times what we agreed to pay. When we refused, they attacked us. Fortunately they knew they couldn't blow up the ship or they'd risk losing the cargo. Instead they just took shots across our hull, hoping to kill us all with hull breaches."
"How did you get out of that one?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"You aren't going to believe this next part, but a Khala warship shows up out of no where and takes the Diamond Dogs head on. They saved our ship, our cargo and our lives," said Fix It.
"What was a Khala ship doing in Consortium space?" asked Sovereign.
"Here is the crazy part, they were looking for you," answered Fix it. "One of them said she was your friend. She was a bit of a creepy, quiet mare. "
A mare claiming to be my friend? Isn't that every mare I've ever met right before she stabbed me in the back? Sovereign thought to himself. "Did you catch her name?" he asked.
"She didn't say," replied Fix It. "She was wearing a cloak, so I didn't catch a glimpse of at her mark either. I remember she was black coated, had a dark blue mane, grey eyes."
Seeker was in Consortium space?! Thought Sovereign. "Did she say why she was looking for me?"
"Didn't tell me that either," replied Fix It. "Like I said, she didn't say much."
Fix It gave them the time and place to meet him so they could make their departure, then parted ways with them. Having completed her task, Sweetie Belle decided to return to the hotel room. Sovereign returned to his drink and thought more on the situation.
Why is Seeker looking for me? Did she get herself exiled as well? he thought to himself. No, that wouldn't make any sense. If the GA(Golden Armada) lent her a ship, then this was a government funded mission. Did Zamara send her after me? he pondered. He was her student while he was training to become a Preserver, and practically raised him. The two of them were very close, almost like mother and son. His exile had been especially painful for her to bear. Perhaps she had convinced the other Matriarchs to lift his exile? Perhaps Seeker was coming to bring him home.
It had been two weeks since they had arrived on Torus. On the very first day, Rainbow Dash was quickly taken back to the ice house to be sent on another mission, leaving Jet Stream and Apple Bloom to spend the two weeks alone on the ship. The Torus colony wasn't much to look at. Besides the COC, there weren't any other buildings of note.
Mostly small stores, a couple of diners. The town really had the feel of a terran old wild western movie to it. The starport on the Torus colony was just an open field and some buildings containing tools and fuel. Many of the colonist lived on farms miles apart. This was the kind of colony that made Mar Sara look like Korhal.
While they were still on the prison ship, Rainbow Dash had succeeded in retrieving the data core, and in placing the data core back into the Captains quarters without him ever suspecting anything. Since Apple Bloom already had previous experience with that particular data core, she managed to infect it with a rootkit. The Dominion eventually downloaded all the files on the data core, as well as the rootkit she had implanted, giving her access to the Dominion battle net.
Jet Stream kept busy by doing cargo runs for the farmers, their main customers being the Torus DSP, and the ice house on the other side of the planet. It was honest work, and it helped make ends meet. If only Rainbow Dash hadn't been convicted, Jet Stream could imagine them doing work like this for a living.
Apple Bloom spent most of her time trying to see what she could do about the reaper kill switches. While the rootkit had succeeded in getting her into their networks, it was still a slow and difficult process. She had to be very careful not to do anything to draw the attention of the Dominion. If they found out their battle net had been hacked, Apple Bloom would lose her only chance at saving Scootaloo. She was making progress, but only in small steps rather than massive leaps.
"How is it going?" asked Jet Stream.
Apple Bloom continued looking at the screen when she replied. "I knew this was going to be hard but..."
"That bad?"
"Well maybe not that bad. I did manage to hack into the security camera feed. No sound, but at least I know she is still alive. I can't believe some of things they've made her do! There is this one stallion who steals her food every meal time, and another one who seems to enjoy spending hours at a time beating the crap out of her! I just wish there was a way to let Scootaloo know we're out here. Give her some hope to hold on to." said Apple Bloom.
"I think that can be arranged" said Jet Stream.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Apple Bloom.
"I got a message from Rainbow Dash. She just came back from her last mission. She was injured, so she won't be going on any Ops again for at least a few days."
"Well that's something I guess. I take it she could forward a message for us?" asked Apple Bloom.
"There is more." Jet Stream then revealed a small tablet. "I also managed to buy one of these. If I ask her to, Rainbow Dash could slip it into her cell. At least then you could communicate with her."
Apple Bloom examined the tablet, and reflected on the merit of her plan. "I'll need to make some adjustment; remove its ability to send any messages."
"Why don't you want her sending any messages back?" asked Jet Stream.
"If she sends a message back to us, they might be able to trace it. I'll have to strip it down to the bare minimum. Receives messages and nothing else." said Apple Bloom.
"In that case why bother?" asked Jet Stream.
"We might have to send her instructions when its time to make our move. At least this way we know she'll get the message. Take us to the ice house so we can pay your sister a visit. I should have it ready by then."
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Mother of Tassadar, the word count just keeps climbing. I am astounded by just how fast, and how much, you update -keep up the nice work.
2673499 Okay, I did not know that. Thanks for this...rather disturbing information.
So now, not only is your ex searching for you and your current girfriend, but your ex-ex is also after you. Sovi, you are in some deep shit brah!
'Bloom is such a hacker, hacking into Battle.net like that. She's just a low-down cheater.
Another awesome chapter. Shall wait for more!
2677897
I have never heard that explanation before from blizzard.
BUT!
That is easily the smartest answer I've ever heard as they why they behave the way they do. Now that I think about it, I can't believe blizzard didn't bring that up. Or maybe they did, and I just never heard them. Though the only official answers I've heard were simply saying they're just of a different psychology than us.
But now that you bring it up, its not hard to imagine that humans from the dark ages being given space travel would probably have very similar results. The "Aeon of Strife" in starcraft lore is considered the bloodiest civil war in the galactic history. Considering that the protoss were still living as hunters/warrior tribes when the Xel'Naga revealed themselves and gave them their technology, and I can imagine the dark ages ending the same way.
Even though blizzard never directly brings it up, I think starcraft is a good example of your low culture high tech statement. The Xel'naga were blatantly shown to be a rather uncaring race, with no sense of a "startrek prime directive." Even though they caught the early signs of trouble, rather than interfere to stop the violence when hey had they chance, they just sat back and watched with curiosity as the protoss link started to tear its self apart. Sad considering all they had to do was step in and say they weren't playing favorites. When the link finally did break, they decided it was best to just leave before things got worse, but didn't make it out before the protoss turned their anger towards them.
2677456
You're the first person I've heard say they wanted an update on someone besides the zerg or the protoss. I will take that into consideration.
Interesting method of meshing the two series. A while back I had the idea of a fic where Equestria found a wrecked Confederate Science Vessel and reverse-engineered it (not too difficult considering a single SCV can build an army in an hour or two) then Twilight and friends were sent out to explore and stumbled into the second great war.
But then I decided to write a Traveller crossover instead, then schoolwork got in the way, then I had lost interest in that fic I wrote a couple chapters of. Maybe now I'll write that StarCraft crossover.
I would like to thank everyone for the positive feed back. I'll be honest, I was expecting people to really dislike this chapter because the more I looked at it, the more I kind of thought it didn't really do anything. Don't get me wrong, it is necessary for the reader to know what Apple Bloom is doing, and where Sweetie Belle and Sovereign are going for future chapters, so it is part of the bigger story, I was just worried folks wouldn't like it as a stand alone chapter. But thank you everyone for your support and participation in the comments.
I am almost done with the next chapter, and it should be out some time tonight around 6pm pacific time. For some reason, that is the time when the statistical view counter resets. I should have it edited by then.