Dock with the station instead. 51%
Twilight’s decision was a near thing, requiring hours of deliberation before she was finally certain of it. But after a few minutes of planning, she finally spoke up. “We’re not going to keep doing what didn’t work and what other ponies have already tried. I saw the power readings on the Prospector—that thing could tear the Equinox apart just as easily. It’s time to try something different. We’re docking with that megastructure.”
Silence descended on the bridge, with ponies and one dragon all staring at her. Rarity spoke first. “All our eggs together then, captain? The Equinox flying in… Prospector’s engines are half melted, nowhere for the escape pod to send us to even if we use it. Into the hurricane we go.”
Twilight nodded to Spike. “Put me on a general channel.”
There was a brief pause, then the not-dragon nodded. “Ready.”
“Crew of the Equinox,” Twilight said, sitting up straight behind her chair. IT didn’t matter that nopony would be able to see her there—good posture would help her feel more like a captain. “I’ve decided to fly the Equinox down into the atmosphere of Proximus B. We knew this might happen—we’ve been reinforcing her for months now.
“We believe the structure below is tethering the last vessel sent from home. It’s the only Equestria we have to return to. But I understand some of you may be hesitant. I’m willing to leave the Prospector in orbit with supplies and anypony who doesn’t want to take the risk. If anypony doesn’t want to be part of this mission, send a call to the bridge now.”
Twilight waited a few more moments in the uncomfortable silence, before Rainbow’s voice came over the radio. She was still unloading the Prospector along with the other ponies who had been part of that mission. But she sounded annoyed. “Captain, do you honestly think that somepony would rather wait up here while Equestria is down there? All that’s left, waiting for our help. That isn’t how this mission goes.”
Twilight waited nervously for contradiction, but it never came. Finally, she took up the radio in her magic again. “Then all hooves prepare to go down. Load the Prospector with supplies. If the worst should happen, Sunset or I can probably teleport us up to safety.”
“Where we’ll have a ship with melted engines waiting for us,” Rainbow finished. “Sounds great.”
No time for repairs. We already took months preparing to go down there the first time. Any day now its shields might fail, and it might break apart under those conditions.
They took only a day or so to prepare. Some food and tools and other emergency supplies went into the Prospector, and it was off, settling into a slowly decaying orbit of Proximus C. Recovering it anytime in the next month or so would be simple, if they survived. If they didn’t… then it wouldn’t matter regardless.
“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Spike said to the full bridge. Everypony was at their duty stations, either on this deck or others. Spike’s own body was down in engineering with Apple Bloom, meaning he spoke only through the radio. Twilight was quietly grateful for that, though she never would’ve admitted it to the poor dragon. That strange multi-limbed body with its naked skin wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes.
“Prepare for a buckin’ rough ride,” Rainbow said from the helm, strapping herself in with several layers of overlapping belt. “Keep your airlocks sealed. If the outside gets inside, you can’t breathe it, so keep a respirator handy.”
“What she said,” Twilight said, just a little exasperated. “Is everypony ready?”
Pause.
“Medical is ready,” Fluttershy said.
“Engineering ready,” Applejack said. “I got myself a veritable army of little robots. Ain’t sure what we couldn’t handle right now.”
“Shields ready,” Rarity said. “Sunset and I both know how to work these defenses. But don’t expect a city shield out of two unicorns.”
“Equinox is ready,” Spike added. “I’m always ready, but since I’m the one really at risk here, I thought I should say something.”
Twilight settled into her seat, watching the slowly scrolling information readouts. “Take us down, Rainbow. Sensors, stay on the lower instillation. Get me a heading to somewhere we can dock.”
“I’ve got my eyes open,” Node said. “We’re getting hella static off the fusion wash from that highway station. Once I know what part of the building we’re looking at, I’ll have your heading.”
The ship rumbled under them, and they started to descend.
Can Rainbow breach the atmosphere without causing damage to the Equinox? Yes
The ship began to rumble under Twilight’s hooves, shaking enough that she reached out with one leg to grip her chair, careful not to touch any of the controls. But there was nothing she could do to improve their path. Twilight could fly the Equinox herself of course—but this was Spike and Rainbow’s show.
Can rainbow dock safety? Yes.
Random event: The Trust of Possessions.
“I’ve got your approach vector,” Node said, after a minute of flying into the gray-blue fog. They’d started to list slightly in the direction of the wind, as their navigational thrusters were slowly overwhelmed. “Stay in this corridor, and it should see you like a maintenance ship.”
Rainbow grunted her acknowledgement, both hooves pressed firmly to the controls. She tilted her whole body opposite to the ship, as though she could manhandle it into a straight course by force of will alone.
“Can we, uh… can we get that shield?” Rainbow asked. “Sonar is showing so rough air up ahead. Some kind of… vortex.”
“We can probably give you…” Sunset’s voice, sounding like her lips were clenched with pain. “Two minutes?”
“I’ll make it work!” Rainbow answered, grinning eagerly. “Get ready for a full burn, everypony! Hold on!”
They rocketed forward, no longer twisted to the side. Twilight watched every readout she could, biting her lip at the size of the numbers outside their ship. They wouldn’t last long against winds like that, not when their ship was barely made to work in atmosphere at all.
But then they were through, and the entire ship stopped rocking. No more list, no more rumble—they fell completely still.
For a long moment, they rested in total silence, everypony at their controls. Even Rainbow just stared, transfixed by the view Spike had conjured for them.
Outside the Equinox was… a platform of light, extending to meet them from a wall of metal vaster than anything they’d seen before. Node had been right: they were docking.
Twilight was already planning her next move.
1. Send the digital crewmembers. Node is one of them, and Spike almost is too at this point. Apple Bloom was changed by their virus. Let them see family coming aboard, instead of aliens.
2. Send the best infiltrators. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and Node. Node might slow them down a little, but she knows this place. She has to be there.
3. Twilight and anypony who wants to go can go. Large crew might be putting lots of us at risk, but if I demand to go I can’t really keep anypony else from this. More of us should mean a greater chance of success.
Node already proved helpful in getting the ship safely docked. I think send her or Spike is a must, but otherwise allow any crew that wants to come.
Still wrapping my head around "hella static." Not the diction I've come to expect from Node.
Speaking of whom, sending her in is a must; she's the only one who knows what the place actually is. The other robotic crew members going along with seems like a reasonable course of action, especially since we don't know the atmospheric conditions within the larger structure.
Robo pones first, nothing stops them from geting the rest of the crew there later.
Let's go with option 1. Best not to set off any defenses at this point.
I say send the infiltators. I think the four of them could accomplish a lot together.
Yep, that same logic is why people shower and dress up for over-the-phone interviews.
Reminds me of a quote I like: "In the event of a hull breach, please hold your breath against the harsh vacuum of space until you pass out from oxygen starvation. After that you won't care."
Well looks like this approach worked better.
I'm going to have to go with sending the digital crew first. An automated station like this probably might have defenses and might be friendlier to those its familiar with, then an alien species that might try to (From its perspective) maliciously mess with its settings.
For all we know, this place might only be hospitable for a fully digital crew to walk in it.
But going in together might be fine if the environment is okay for organic life and as long as they listen to Node.
But Sending Rainbowdash as a spy sounds like a ridicules way for the station to consider them hostile. Scanners people. In this kind of hyper advanced civilization, this station will probably see Dash the minute she leaves the airlock. If it isn't seeing them all through the hall of Spikes body already.
Let's send the digital crew, not least for keeping the HUNGER back.
Send the non-organic crew first. We don't know what could be lurking on that station.
Send in the Drones!
Into the breach.
Excellent.
Another random event, well, now it's out of our hands.
Seems like maybe a positive event for once, though?
I'm thinking 2, happy medium between sending just mechanical crew and everyone.
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Well if what's lurking is an Equestria running away from a black cloud that uses cybernetics for it's goal of ending all organic life sending an all cybernetic crew might be dangerous.
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Wait I thought they were docking with the Equestrian station that was trapped in some sort of hyperlane not docking with the hyperlane station itself?
Hopefully we won't need that...
: "Good to hear that, Spike. It would be an short trip if you wouldn't be ready."
I voted for option one.
We don't want to trigger any security mechanisms; especially the deathly ones.
I'd say infiltrators. Sending in only digital crewmembers is a bit risky since they could be digitally subverted.
It took a little internal debating, but I went with sending the infiltrators. I want Node to be there regardless, but it seemed like a good compromise - a mix of organics (in case some kind of virus causes issues) and Node (who now looks as she once did and thus will be recognized as potentially friendly). It looks like the 'send the cybers' option is winning, but I'm okay with that; a virus DOES seem unlikely, and that could be good if there if the atmosphere is unlivable.
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Check the options on the strawpoll.me link itself. There was a fourth option that got more votes than any of the ones listed in the chapter.
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Ah thanks for the clarification.
As much apparent success Twilight had on the ring, best not push it until firm understanding is had.
*rolls a d20* ... 4 ... Hunger! Destroy it all, blow up the thing.
So what's the hidden option this time? It was hidden.
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There's no fourth (nutso) option this update. How strange...
Some rough air?