//------------------------------// // Part 2, Chapter 15: Retreats and Advances // Story: The Portgate // by Archival //------------------------------// "We discovered that the Portgate itself was what caused the interference that prevented our drones from effectively scouting out the area. Wireless signals were scrambled by it, but once we ran cables through data transfer was no issue. Come to think of it, why didn't we do that? Maybe they were too much of a hassle. After all, we could only keep the Portgate open for a couple of a minutes at a time. Now? We don't have that issue." -Jonathan "Blue" Peng, Data Technician -William- It was surprising how little work William had that day. Barely any new paperwork was placed on his desk, even after the Portgate reopened, and when they had evacuated he got an entire three hours of rest outside the facility. Sure, he was roused from his sleep at five in the morning, but he got to wait until nine before starting work - a truly unbelievable miracle! The rest of the day had went delightfully, as well. Not a single shred of paper came in until noon, and that was just a parts order from engineering. He even caught up with half of his work before he stood up at four in the afternoon and walked into the hallway, ready to meet the three lucky people who were the talk of the facility. William stood in front of the wooden door, straightening out his collared shirt and brushing his hair back with his hands. They were watching television inside, the muffled voices and musical jingles noisily playing through the walls and into his ears. He hesitated, unsure of how to continue, before knocking on the door. "...I'll get it..." Something inside shifted around. Footsteps approached the door, and a second later William stood face to face with an unshaved security guard, a look of annoyance on his face. "Who...ah...UM!" The guard seized up, shocked by the sudden arrival of the project head in their laid-back state. William never liked it when others treated him as a superior, especially when they looked like they just saw a ghost. The two other people inside turned their heads, then panickedly sat up straight in their chairs and dusted off their shirts. "I-Sorry!" "We didn't think it was-" "Alright," he declared in his deep bass voice. Nobody moved. "It's okay, I'm just here to talk about what happened. Please, have a seat." Reluctantly, the guard tensely made his way into a sofa. William gently pushed the door shut, then stepped inside and plopped himself into an unoccupied couch. The woman quickly grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, her sitting position clearly communicating unease. "I'm sorry, I know you must have been through a lot. Are you-" "Fine!" the guard blurted out. He cringed as soon as the sound bite left his mouth, as if he was expecting some sort of retribution or punishment for his actions. William sighed. "That's good to hear. So, you've been interviewed, I take it?" The survivors looked at each other, then nodded. "Great, that's great. I'm here because I want to hear what you three have to say." "But we just-" "No, ma'am, they asked the questions and you gave them answers. I want to know what YOU have to say about the past two weeks. What do YOU three think about what happened?" They didn't respond. "Hmm...I was expecting more of a reply. Okay. You guys said that you found intelligent life?" "Yes," the woman answered, "we did." "Oh, that - that's amazing! Congratulations, to all of you, for being the first to make contact with an alien species!" All three survivors cringed at the word "contact." The guard was especially uncomfortable with the word. "Oh...sorry. I forgot...that...that...happened." An awkward silence followed, nobody wanting to bring up the event at all. It was still a tender subject. "Um..." "Hm?" "Am...am I receiving any...punishment?" the guard asked, almost too meekly for a giant like him. "No, um...Noah, you won't. Your actions were spur-of-the-moment, reflexive responses. Considering the situation, I'm told you did very well." "O-Oh...thanks." Silence broke out again, though a tad less awkward than before. "Well...what now?" the man in the technician fatigues asked. "Oh! Yeah, well," William replied as he took his glasses off, "we've decided, that, um..." All eyes were on William at the moment, which made him feel very uncomfortable. "...you three are, uh, going to be part of our first- I mean, second- contact team." "What?" "Um, you-you'll get compensation and rewards soon, but for now we have to keep this top secret. Please understand, this is a very...impactful event." "What will we be doing?" "The same things you've been doing before, but...you'll be over on the other side. We will also occasionally pull you for, let's say, 'important procedures' should the need arise." "I don't understand. Why?" "You three have spent two weeks more on the other world than any of us. You're more familiar than anyone on Earth. Which is why you'll be important people from now on. Get used to having more responsibilities." "What do you mean?" "Leah, is it? You're going to be working with all of the researchers we're sending to study the planet as a guide and advisor. You'll also have time to work on other projects you're assigned to, which will be much more numerous now that the Portgate is stable. Andrew, you're going to be part of our construction and mechanical teams. Both of them, yes, but you're a skilled man; I believe you'll do just fine. And Noah...you'll be the most involved. We're setting up a special group of armed personnel to explore the other side, and your services would be much appreciated." "But," Andrew asked, "couldn't they just get another person to do my job?" "I don't know why the top brass are doing this, but I'd just go with it if I were you." "We'll be together, right?" "You will have opportunities to meet up, both on and off duty. Occasionally, we'll have you help us maintain relations with the locals. Even if you did...injure three of them, you did save another three. Gosh, three everywhere...oh, they'll have good things to say about you to their species. It would be fitting for the first three visitors to also be part of our... appearance. Think of this as a publicity thing." "Okay. We understand." "Any questions?" Once again, the room was silent. "Really? I was hoping that you'd guys tell me more about what happened, but...actually, never mind that. You guys have been through a lot, please rest and enjoy yourselves. I just came here to tell you the news, but I was also curious. Maybe later, huh?" he asked as he stood up and turned towards the door. "And please, enjoy the food," William said as he twisted the doorknob and pulled it back. "Mr. Anderson?" William turned towards the technician. "Thank you...for this." "Ah, no, it wasn't me who arranged this. But please, take care of yourselves," he replied as he closed the door behind him. Everyone let out a collective sigh. "Oh gosh," Leah sighed, "we're going to have to actually do stuff? I thought we'd, like, get famous or something, and not have to do any more work." "Hey," Noah shot back, "things could be worse." -Celestia- Not even the tapestries strung along the castle's interior could completely muffle the commotion Princess Celestia's advisors made as she walked towards the conference room. The frantic ponies (mostly unicorns) clamored for a chance to have their opinions and suggestions heard by the pearl-white alicorn, temporarily throwing their Canterlot etiquette aside in the hopes that they would be noticed. Celestia herself tried her best to respond, but she was outnumbered twenty to one; even as the doors closed behind her and she took her seat, they still voiced their thoughts loudly and pointedly towards her. "But we can't just move everypony in the active Guard in a matter of days!" "How the hay are we supposed to tell the populace?" "You would need to provide tax cuts to the nobility..." "We need to go up to those things and-" "Quiet, please," Celestia calmly asked. "Now is not the time for confusion and disorganization. I would like to hear from all of you, one at a time, your thoughts on this matter." Reluctantly, the advisors silenced themselves. "Thank you. We'll go around the table. General Maelstrom?" The gruff, sky-blue stallion sighed. "I can't believe you just told us to move a bunch of our troops-" "Only eight percent." "-into the Everfree! I'm not afraid of the monsters in there, but don't you think that that's a bit excessive?" "Luna wanted to garrison half of the Guard," Celestia countered. "And besides, ninety percent of our troops are idle in their barracks; it's not like we're at war." "The logistics are going to be a headache. Getting four thousand ponies into the Everfree and supplying them duirng long-term encampment..." "Leave that to me. Can you do it, then?" "Definitely," he grumbled, "but it'll be one heck of a headache." "Excellent. Grand Mage Crystal Arcana, what about the encampment itself?" "The Night Guard pulled out a day before we received the report, and a day after the portal appeared. There's not much to go on. And if what this says is true - that they only did that in a full day - then I wouldn't be too concerned." "Still, we mustn't underestimate them. When is the soonest we can expect a report?" "Luna's already heading back to Ponyville, and should be there tomorrow. They're using the next day to resupply, and two more days to return and set up camp at their previous location again. Add one day to send a report to Ponyville, where we'll hopefully be by then, and that's five days. Meanwhile, we'll be using today and tomorrow to prepare the troops, and one day traveling to Ponyville. Setting up a permanent supply line to their currently vacant camp will take two days, and if nothing happens...we'll recieve a new report five days from now." "A bit long, but it can't be helped. I just hope that our...visitors don't expand too aggressively in those five days." "About those creatures...what did Luna have to say about them?" the General asked. "Well," Crystal Arcana replied, "I actually have Twilight Sparkle's notes on them here with me. I have been informed that they are just a rough copy of the notes that were left at the visitors' shelter, but I trust her accuracy in such matters." Her horn glowed with a light-blue aura as the buckle of her saddlebags magically undid themselves. A sheaf of papers, bound by a golden paper clip, flew out from the leather bag and spread itself across the polished oak table. The sheets of parchment were covered with crude sketches and quick scribbles, but they were anything but insubstantial. "Hmm. So this is what they look like?" Celestia asked. "Diamond Dogs, but without fur." "I was thinking more Minotaur," the Governor of Commerce commented. "That's not important right now. What is important are these two facts: number one, that they're unable to use magic-" "Well, we don't have to worry too much about them then!" "No," the Grand Mage interjected. "Remember that only one of these creatures killed three of the Night Guard - and could have taken Luna's life, as well." "Hah! We were simply caught off guard, though. I'd like to see them try to injure a combat mage, or stop a cannonball!" "True," Celestia sighed. "Even if we can defeat them, I can't believe Luna just went into their shelter in the middle of the night, unannounced." "She has only been back as ruler for a few years, Celestia, after a millenium of banishment. Perhaps she has not become reaccustomed to Equestria after so long gone?" "Perhaps, but that does not matter right now. Printing Press, how should we reveal this discovery to the public?" "We don't," the steel-gray unicorn answered. "There's a - let's face it - intrusion of Equestria's sovereignty from the Everfree by aliens. I doubt the public would respond well to that. For now, we should keep this a secret. Maybe later, when things have progressed and we know a bit more about what's going on, we can tell everyone." "I see." "But how shall we let it out? There's no way to tell everypony without it being a jarring shock." "Let's not worry about that, Press. There are other, more immediate issues at hand." A low, groaning creak suddenly brought all conversation to a halt. One of Celestia's assistants quickly cantered through the large, tall wooden doors and whispered something into her ear, the stressed syllables ahd tense verbalizations all that was audible to those in the chamber save the Princess herself. The alicorn nodded, then rose from the chair as the young earth-pony mare stood at her side. "Excuse me. Sorry for cutting this short, but I have some business to attend to. We must reconvene as soon as possible...is tomorrow, at ten a convenient time?" "Yes, Princess," rang out around the table. All of the advisors began to pack their bags and prepare to leave, Celestia's attention elsewhere at the moment. As her assistant left the room, the Princess of the Sun followed, her gaze directly opposite the conference room as she went on with her day. -UAV-ES-20 "Horus", #165- MilNav ES-20 v1.2.1.0.3 initializing... Motors: GOOD Steering: GOOD Signal: POOR [78% PACKET RECEIVE / 72% TRANSMIT] Camera: GOOD Navigation/GPS: !-UNAVAILABLE-! ES-20 #165 online. Battery 100% (00:30:20) (Cable In) The LED on the top of the quadcopter blinked red, then glowed a steady green as pre-flight diagnostics ran their course. Its medium-resolution video camera, screwed beneath it on a 360-degree mount, automatically began recording its first few seconds of flight video. The camera displayed a military-sized tent in a forest clearing on the bulky laptop next to it, the lenses whirring as it tried to focus on the American flag imprinted on the side. "Okay, things look fine, sir. But...that's weird, transmissions are really bad. Maybe it's something with the antenna?" "Nah, the scientists said this place messes with signals. Can you fix it?" "I'll try." 2 >> 10 [TRANSMIT_PRIORITY] Signal: POOR [80% PACKET RECEIVE / 71% TRANSMIT] "Not gonna happen, sir." "Well, I guess we'll have to be more careful. Jackson?" "Hmm?" the built-in microphone caught from afar. "We're good. Get over here and fly this thing." "Alright." "And don't get too fancy; the connection is really spotty." "Sure thing." Something from behind made a scraping sound. Suddenly, the camera spun around twice, the surroundings too blurry to make out. "Jeez, the camera sensitivity on this thing!" "It's not like the combat drones you've flown. This is a scouting quadcopter-" "Yeah, but still.." [CABLE UNPLUGGED] Battery 100% (00:30:18) "Let's do this." The quadcopter's electric motors whirred as its propellors built up speed. Suddenly, it began to rise, gaining altitude as the view of the forest canopy slowly broadened into view. Once it reached 80 feet, the scouting drone tilted forward, flying with a slight lean towards the right. It was circling the Portgate, mapping the surroundings in a spiral path as it spun around the quickly-growing camp. The ES-20 was a medium-sized reconnaissance quadcopter designed for quick and reliable first-time scouting. Although its battery life was skimpy when compared to similar military drones and its frame was made of a flimsier but lighter plastic, it more than made up for it with a high-resolution 8-megapixel photo camera and strong, dependable motors. It was a relatively recent prototype (only three years old), but the few instances in which it had seen use delivered promising results. However, in the Equestrian Everfree its wireless transmitter was having a hard time getting through the thick, mysterious static. Occasionally, it would drift a few meters too far forwards as its connection to the flight controller was periodically chopped off, the interference scrambling any communications back and forth. The drone lagged forward, then readjusted, then lagged forward... Until twenty-two minutes after takeoff, when it came to a complete stop mid-air. Five seconds passed, and the quadcopter turned around and lowered in altitude. The whine of the rotors dropped in pitch as it descended into the treeline. Just thirty feet below it, nearly completely hidden by the foliage, was a large, abandoned encampment. Not a single creature was in sight amongst the empty tents. Its photo camera spun around and focused on the tents in the clearing, rapidly snapping off pictures at paparazzi pace. As its flight camera switched between infrared and night-vision in an attempt to find any beings possibly hiding from it, the quadcopter descended to just ten feet above the ground. It buzzed around eagerly, taking as many photos as it could before it had to return to recharge its batteries. Nothing escaped its sight, from the long-extinguished campfires to the odd pieces of litter scattered here and there. Soon, however, it was time for the drone to head back. The quadcopter rose back up to cruising altitude, making a beeline back to the Portgate. It would come back to the encampment later, to further investigate the mysterious tents and awnings. A day later, it would be accompanied by a heavier research drone, which would then retrieve some of the random items scattered around the camp. But at that moment, it had to refill its batteries. The buzzing noise of the propellors soon disappeared from the tents as the drone headed back to base, the noon sun casting a wavy shadow on the trees.