Long Haul

by D1scordant

Chapter 6

Chapter six

Three ponies stood waiting in a triangle in the station’s atrium near the statue. The two at the back where security. The other was clearly an officer. The two soldiers wore bulbous black armor that fully inclosed their bodies, while the other was wearing a prim dark-grey suit and a black patrol cap. The officer, a grey-tan unicorn, turned at the sound of Nebs’ approach. He seemed to be glaring into her, to see what dark secrets she was hiding.

“Miss Dusk?” he spoke with an oily drawl. His voice had a certain charisma to it.

Nebs nodded.

“I am Lieutenant Greyhorn, I, as I’m sure you know already, am with the Office of Naval Intelligence. I need to talk to you about the ship you stole from.”

Nebs raised an eyebrow.

“You mean the Tantibus?”

Greyhorn nodded.

“It has come to my understanding, that you took an object of research potential vital to our war efforts.”

“What war? When I left Eridani, there wasn’t a war.”

“A lot can happen in four months, however, it’s not important, what is, is that you need to tell me where the artifact is, now.”

A vague menace crept into his voice.

“I never laid a hoof on it. I don’t where it is.”

The lieutenant’s eyes narrowed dangerously. His grey-blue eyes seemed to bore into Nebs’ soul. Something seemed off about him, like he was wrong somehow.

“I don’t believe you.”

“These ponies took it when they scavenged the ship.”

“You do know, that lying to an ONI officer... is considered treason.” He paused,”I could have you shot right here.”

“ENOUGH!” Kira shouted, entering the room.”I will have no bloodshed here!”

The lieutenant turned.

“Your Office of Naval Intelligence has no authority here. I need not remind you that this is neutral space.”

Greyhorn grimaced, as she continued.

“If the the shards are so important to you, then have them. You only delay Celestia’s return.”

He rolled his eyes in disgust.

“very well. After your people load them and miss Dusk’s ship into ours, I’ll make my leave. You’re lucky I don’t blow you and your crazy little cult to dust.”

Kira shot him a vicious look.

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Kira stood next to Nebs, glaring at the large naval vessel. They were transferring the Mercy into their ship’s cargo bay. The ship was a large cruiser, It’s size rivaling the station. Large bulky panels covered the hull, arranged in a way that gave it a regal, yet vaguely aggressive appearance. The ship had a figurehead, a rarity on most warships. It was a bust of an alicorn mare, a stern look on her face. After the Mercy had been loaded, the ship turned and Nebs could see it’s name; Luna’s Wrath.

Kira turned her head toward Nebs and asked if the lieutenant wanted her to go with them. Nebs nodded in reply.

“I’m sorry about all of this, Kira,” Nebs said,” I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s alright, Nebs,” Kira interrupted,” You could not have known.”

Nebs sighed, as Greyhorn trotted in, his two power armored lackeys in tow. He informed her it was time to go, then led her towards the docking tube.

The free-hanging catwalk inside the docking tube rocked as one of the Wrath’s starboard airlocks interlocked with the station. The ship’s airlock opened with a quiet hiss, and the four ponies stepped in. With a louder hiss, the airlock cycled, closing the outer door, and opening the inner door. As the inner door opened, two turrets swiveled toward Nebs, four red dots appearing on her head, waiting for her to make a move.

She had never been on a military ship before, especially not a cruiser. The halls where a pale light blue with much darker blue accents. Occasionally, there were glowing terminal set into the walls displaying various information. One started beeping. Greyhorn grumbled something under his breath.

“Yes, CAITI?”

An image of a sky blue pegasus appeared on the screen, the ship’s AI.

“Lieutenant Greyhorn, the captain wants you to bring our guest to the bridge.” She spoke, her voice brash, and tomboyish.

“I’m sorry, but that cannot be allowed yet,” He replied,”I’ve still got some questions for miss Dusk.”

The AI nickered.

“You know I have airlock controls, right? Hate for you to have an ‘accident’.”

The Lieutenant rolled his eyes.

“And last time I checked, five milliseconds ago, by the way, captain outranks lieutenant.”

Greyhorn said nothing, but led the others to the bridge.

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The bridge consisted of a large rectangular room almost completely bisected aft and stern by a large windowed partition. Various workstations lined the wall, with ponies milling around monitoring. Toward the bow, there was a raised area with several comfortable looking chairs, as well as an array of vidsceens. Dominating the command area, was a massive window. Outside, large openings allowed for armored shutters to slide down over the window.

The door slid shut behind Nebs, as the Lieutenant and his cohort exited the bridge. CAITI appeared on a vidscreen to her right.

“Hey! Over here!”

Nebs turned, slightly surprised by the construct’s enthusiasm. CAITIs’ avatar grinned.

“Captain Arcturus will see you now.”

Turning, Nebs looked towards the red coated earth pony sitting in the center of the command area. He wore a heavy ornate coat and the peaked hat of a naval captain.

She turned back to the AI and nodded, then walked towards the command area. As she neared, the captain turned and shot her a quick grin.

“My apologies if Greyhorn gave you any trouble, miss Dusk,” he said, in a surprisingly lax tone,” I’m Captain Isov Arcturus.”

He offered a hoof, which Nebs accepted.

“You can call me Isov if you want,” he added, “No need for that formal crap, unless you're part of my crew.”

Nebs was taken aback by Arcturus’ laid back demeanor. She had expected somepony more stern, and older, and, well, balder. He seemed more like a civilian captain than military.

“Can I get you something?” he asked.

Comments

[Alchemik]

Oh crap, it's ONI. They're always bad news bears.

Nice to see another chapter!