Take everyone but Spike, leave him to make the repairs. 72%
“You’re sure you can handle this, Spike?” Twilight’s voice was a little muffled through the hazmat suit, but not enough that the young dragon wouldn’t be able to understand even without the radio.
They stood alone on the end of the docking arm, with the Prospector already packed to the gills. It was a merciful blessing from Celestia that Applejack had replaced all their deployment supplies, or else they might be stuck in a cave somewhere, eating purple grass to survive.
“I’m sure,” the dragon said, rolling his eyes. “I ran the numbers. I could sleep for ten years next to the reactor and I’d barely get sunburned. It’s fine! Soon as you’re out, I’ll get the whole thing vented. Repairs… well, might be a little harder, we’ll see. But Applejack and I will keep in touch.”
“Yeah.” She leaned down beside him, embracing him with a plastic-covered wing. “You’ve really grown up, Spike. We’d already be dead if it wasn’t for you. You’re our only hope of ever getting home.”
“I won’t let you down,” he returned the embrace, squeezing her so tight she worried the suit might burst. But it didn’t, and a few moments later he released her again. “I just… I want a promise from you, Twi. An honest one.”
“Anything.”
“Come back for me,” he begged, voice desperate. “And the others. Well, except maybe Cozy Glow. Want to leave her on ice for all eternity, that’s better than she deserves after all this. But the rest of us. Don’t leave us here, even if I’m not smart enough to fix the Equinox.”
Twilight nodded. “It isn’t conditional. We’ll come back for you.”
She turned, crossing through a foil-covered tube through the void, into the side of the Prospector.
Despite its repairs, it was obvious the interior hadn’t been treated with the love and care it deserved. There were little carvings in the wall, doodles and scratches that would’ve required every bit of interior plastic be replaced. But they hadn’t bothered with the effort.
The Equinox began to recede into the distance behind them, its massive metallic superstructure gradually shrinking until there were only a few sparkles of reflection visible in the sun.
The Prospector had only three real rooms—a miniscule cockpit large enough for only a single pony to cram inside, a larger living area, and the even bigger, depressurized cargo hold. It was a standard, modular design, and she’d seen plenty of interesting modifications. Like making the cargo hold into a passenger cabin, for short jumps between Equus and Luna.
But their ship hadn’t been configured for that, and so the quarters were… tight.
There were four beds, though two of them were on walls and not be useful if they needed to accelerate. There was no privacy for the vacuum-style bathroom, or any shower at all.
Pinkie Pie was already strapped into one of the chairs in the furthest corner of the living area, staring off at nothing in particular. Twilight emerged from the cockpit, shaking herself out. Her coat still felt stiff from the decontamination foam, and filled the air around her with the stench of antiseptic. Better a stink than cancer.
“Sorry we haven’t been able to talk much,” Twilight said, pulling over one of the other chairs. She didn’t strap herself down though, not when she still had her magic for that purpose. “Fluttershy told me you were responding well to your new medication.”
Pinkie Pie didn’t look nearly so glazed as she had the last time. Instead she looked a little sleepy, and maybe pained from the staples running up and down her body in various places. Her wounds were healing, though it would probably be years before she could be safely frozen again.
“Yeah,” Pinkie smiled weakly up at her, lifting one foreleg and waving it around with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “Thanks for… making her. She wanted to take it slow. Slow might be good when you’re at home, but think of how many parties behind I’ve gotten. You realize I missed forty-one birthdays for everypony? I can’t start catching up if I’m locked in a little room.”
It was the most awake thing she’d heard Pinkie say thus far. Now—with Applejack on the radio with Spike, and Fluttershy tucked away in one of the cots—might be her first real chance to get answers. “Why did you wake up?”
Pinkie Pie met her eyes, expression haunted. “Something… bad… was gonna happen. I could… feel it.” She gestured vaguely at her head.
“Your… precognition?” Twilight had barely accepted it when she’d first seen the evidence.
“Pinkie sense,” she corrected. “I just had to be awake, then I was. Your voice was there, screaming…” she shivered, clutching at her seatbelt with both legs, starting to shake.
Twilight reached over, settling one leg on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Pinkie. Whatever it was, it’s over. You… don’t have to tell me all about it now if you don’t think you can.”
Pinkie nodded, but then her eyes opened, and she went on anyway. “Something was on the ship with us. It wasn’t very nice. I… got rid of it.”
“Spike didn’t help?”
Pinkie nodded. “Never saw… him.”
Something? Did Pinkie mean she’d helped the eye avert a collision? Or… something stranger? Nothing could get onto the ship. We would’ve been traveling at relativistic speeds. What could fly that fast?
Another starship, maybe. There was the damage when we came into the system. Was some of it older than Spike thought?
She didn’t have time to speculate. It seemed her friend had said all she wanted to, because she’d started humming to herself. One of her old songs about ghosts. Twilight gave her one last reassuring pat, then let go, rising to her hooves.
That was about when Applejack joined her.
“You think he can do it?” Twilight asked.
“Slower than me, but yeah. I only got a quick look, but I’m guessing on the order of four months. He’s gonna have to rip out the whole thing. Melted right into the structure—that’s gonna leave an entire section in hard vacuum. It’s a whole buckin mess.” She shook her head. “But that’s not our problem right now.” Applejack gestured around. “We gotta decide what to do.”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Twilight answered. “There’s no reason we have to let this slow down our mission.” Aside from the specifics of who was on the Prospector, they might’ve been about to do this anyway.
1. First deliver the probe. It’s time to make a new friend, even if it was a little annoying last time.
2. First set up camp down on the fertile part of Proximus B and start growing. Geneseed, real food… the sooner we get those crops in the ground, the sooner we can start making up for what we’ve lost, and get the rest of our crew awake.
3. Wait it out. [-Morale] That means four months living trapped in a tiny box burning through some of the last of our supplies, but the planet is just unacceptably dangerous to visit without the entire crew. We can orbit here within range of the Equinox, and be close in case there’s an emergency.
(Certainty 210 required)
This is a hard one, the probe was pretty insistent that they needed to go to the destination NOW. Not in 3 months or even 3 weeks... There has to be a reason.
But going without getting a contingency in place like a farm? That sounds like a bad move too.
I hate to be stupid here but I think we've stalled enough on the probe's request.
I ption 2 seems to be the best option. rhat will improve morale providing the crops take hold in the grass, then when base camp is set up deliver the probe.
I'd say we start growing. We've been putting it off and it'll be good for morale to have some sense of stability. The drone will likely just lead us into an other challenging series of events the crew isnt ready for yet. While staying near the equinox would let them respond to any disasters that might happen there im not sure there would be much they could do in response to most disasters that could occur.
While getting a base camp set up is important, that doesn't mean it can't be put off for the short trip to drop off the probe and come back. It never said they would need to stay with it once delivered. Simple solution: Drop off the probe, then return to set up the farm and question Pinkie some more.
The probe has waited this long, it can wait until they have a base camp. Grow some food.
9352922
True. But the probe doesn't seem to care about them except as a means to an end. Barely sapient I think it's words were for the crew.
Maybe there are two factions? I am not sure. Pinkie seemed to think something else was on the ship? The probe? Another entity from before the damage?
I am thinking the probe but I don't have much for that except how detached it is.
I am thinking the crew needs to care for themselves a bit and stock up some. So I am thinking number two or possibly number one options.
It would be REALLY nice to know what's going on but they also need supplies.
Are there supplies at the patch of green?
Set up a base to operate from. They don't have to wait til they are harvesting crops before delivering the probe, but they can get them planted and maybe get more info to operate on.
9352922
The probe said it can wait. All that NOW talk is just because it's an impatient prick.
Option 2 is the way to go, I belive. There's no reason to wait, more than swnding Reiki waves towards Spike. Let's eat real food!
Good thing we were already preparing to leave the ship before this.
I say we deliver the probe.
We could leave AJ behind to start the farm. She doesn't like the probe anyway. HA! No! I'm kidding! Never split the party, especially in an alien place like this!
Eh, i know it is bad to make a comment like this but: Where is the option in getting the Probe to talk now that they have plenty of time to go about it? I Know it might be boring in a story sense to not make stupid leaps with little knowledge but these options are literally meant to do that.
It is 2 options which force things forward and 1 obviously bad options for delaying. If there was an option to spend time to make the probe to talk it would be the MIDDLE option too and a lot of people would vote it just because.
Anyway, just something that came to me, no offense meant to author.
I would do the truly stupid thing and do that wich you should never do; split the party.
But in lue of that option, set up camp.
Probe first, because who knows if the growing area is safe? They might learn more from whoever or whatever needs the probe. I wouldn't trust that green area as far as I can throw it until we at least see if there is more intel to be gotten.
Gonna have to agree with a lot of people here and say deliver the probe.
Start growing first, the probe can wait.
While knowing is half the battle, I have to say option 2 is the best bet and they should set down and set up a base camp. They dont have to wait for the crops to be completely grown before they deliver the probe, but delivering the probe with no back up plan set is as foolish as just waiting, we have no guarantee where the probe wants to go is gonna be any safer than the green patch
Well, the oh so urgent 24 hours would have undoubtably passed by now, without further detail it's difficult to say what should be focused on...
I think we made the right-est decision with the medication change. This is good intel to have.
Well, not good per se, but important.
2, they need the full crew assortment.
Oof. The reactor went full elephant's foot. Probably best to make a base camp first. Unless the probe contains the mind of Primus and uploading it to the remain of the planetary network causes the entire globe to shift and convulse, I don't see how that could go poorly.
Of course, that just means I won't see the consequences coming.
If anywhere on that planet is a trap, that green area is definitely it. If we deliver the probe we might be able to get some intel. And if the planet turns out to be unsafe we won't have wasted effort on an outpost that has to be abandoned anyway.
I’d like to have had Rainbow before planetfall, but I don’t think they could handle waiting it out. Of the other two options, both are outside the level of danger id be comfortable taking. But, needs must when the devil drives. Make for the fertile ground and try and make a defensible beachhead and grow enough Geneseed to get the rest of the crew up and moving when the Equinox is safe in 4 months.
While it's true that Option 2, establishing a secure base with food and the ability to revive the rest of the party, is likely best in the long term the problem of whether it is a trap remains, just because the Equinox has had a disaster doesn't change that. The same with option 1, if there were questions about the advisability of delivering the probe without further information before the explosion they haven't gone away now that it's happened.
Perhaps the best option is to stay in space near the Equinox for now and try to think things through a bit. The planet and the probe aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Unless the probe is willing to talk a bit more the crew has no reason to drop all and run to the landing location just yet. Try talking to Pinkie some more. See how well Spike is doing, if he's good then it might be more worth it to go to the planet in a few weeks, not immediately, you don't have to wait the full 4 months, just until you are as certain as you can be that the risk is worth taking. I vote for starting with Option 3, but look to changing it when you have had time to plan and think a bit more.
I have no idea about the advisability of splitting the party at this point.
Finally, as dangerous as she is Cozy Glow may still know something more, even if you don't act upon it now perhaps thinking about reawakening her is advisable. Perhaps the threat of marooning her on the planet in the bubble will be a meaningful threat to her. At the very least you'll have some pony expendable you could send out to do recon without actually splitting the party.
9353049
Underrated observation, IMO. It said that within 24 hours would be optimal. It never set a deadline.
With so many question marks around what's going to happen once it gets there (I mean, so far it's treating the ponies just like tools), and with a good excuse for delay (due to the sabotage they now have no margin of error for safety, and them being able to make it there with a higher probability of success is pretty important), this seems like a good excuse to hunker down and regroup on their way.
9353918
I'm not entirely clear on the lander's fuel situation and the proximity of the probe site compared to the proposed camp site. If they have enough juice to get to both places, I'd vote for #1 because once you settle down and start farming it's going to get a LOT harder to pick up stakes to deliver that stupid thing. Plus you probably want to do a two way trip instead of one way.
2
They need to play hardball with the probe. Start talking or we scrap you and go home. This is one giant star system chock fucking FULL of “downside.”
The probe is more important, and that fertile zone still screams TRAP
I will note that if anyone isn't voting, please vote. There's basicaly no winning margin, options 1 and 2 might as well be tied.
How fast do the crops grow? Does choosing the option for crops mean potentially fast-forwarding for four months while we sit around hoping our corn or flowers or whatever don't turn out to be full of virulent nanomachines?
2. First set up camp down on the fertile part of Proximus B and start growing. Geneseed, real food… the sooner we get those crops in the ground, the sooner we can start making up for what we’ve lost, and get the rest of our crew awake.
Only one more vote needed, and it could be a tiebreaker! Someone could vote for "wait in orbit" so it's a dead heat, then maybe Starscribe will have to pick both options! :)
9357300
And we got there. Though things are still so close I decided to give it one more day for votes to manifest, since the tie has only been broken by one vote as of me typing this. Last time I wrote on such a slim margin the margin had flipped by morning and the chapter's release.
9357685
Maybe you should just write both outcomes, and the story can continue in both universes in parallel. :)
9357687
Have you seen my calendar? https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/836759/state-of-the-scribe-december-2018 It's already some kind of festive holiday miracle that I'm able to write Voyage on top of all that as it is.
9357690
You're a very busy bee and I'm sure all your readers really appreciate it!
Option 2
Always make sure you are stable before doing anything else. Once you have a safe space you can rely on, then explore and discover; take out as many risks as possible.
I believe that you meant "free-fall style". Going to the bathroom in a vacuum would be deadly. About the lack of privacy, it is a good thing that girls do not poop. That is why we should have all female crews for spacetravel.
10351230
Probably vacuum-style in that the toilets actually suck the waste away, given that gravity isn't doing that job.
10578965
Maybe so, but at any rate, it is yucky:
I do not want to get into details, but after I empty my bowels, I jump straight into the shower and scrub myself from head to toe immediately. If I am out and about and have to do so, I feel filthy until I get home, strip down, and shower. Although girls do not poop, I tell all ladyfriends that if girls would poop, i would expect them to shower before coming to bed because my bed is a poop-free zone. The living conditions on the Equinox are too disgusting for me.