//------------------------------// // Reflections // Story: Void Trials // by Obsi //------------------------------// Shetland pulled herself along the halls. Her eyes were closed, but what she wanted to avoid was burned in her mind. Something soft slapped against her shoulder, sending a chill through her body. She raised a hoof, trying to rub the feeling off, but only felt the hard shell of her armor. “Shetland?” Mellow’s artificial voice called. “Shetland, do you have a plan? Where are we going?” “To the tube connecting the ships,” Sse answered. “Can you see it?” “Yes, up ahead, just a little more.” he answered. “Miss Shetland? What are you trying to avoid seeing?” She gritted her teeth. “Do you seriously need to ask?” She pressed through them as another part hit her back, emitting a meaty, wet sound. “Did you know one of them?” he asked, his voice filled with concern. Shetland remained silent as, despite her closed eyes, her friend’s final moments flashed by… Ciloa’s shock as she realized her own fate… Press's final acceptance, Crimson's attempt to rescue someone he barely knew. Shetland snivelled drily. he'd been the hero. Finally, she said with a hollow voice: “Yes.” “I'm very sorry, Miss-” “Stop talking.” Shetland said, holding onto a pole. “Just… pull me through the tube, please.” “Yes, Ma'am.” he confirmed, taking her hoof in his own and gently pulling her along. She heard him gently push debris, and presumably other things, out of their way. Shetland allowed him to lead, trying to banish her last view of Press from her mind. Was he still floating there? For a moment she wanted to turn back and look- “Please, let us simply go.” Mellow said, his voice strained. Shetland wasn't the only one who wanted to unsee. “Sorry,” she mumbled and took a shaky breath. “I lost a friend in there.” “I can only imagine how stressful that must be for you.” he said quietly. “Your plan to save us. Could you explain it?” “Yes, yes.” Shetland said as she climbed into the smaller ship, finally opening her eyes. “This ship, there was noone on it. Only drones. No lifeform trained in flying the ship. And that means the ship can fly itself. The data core I unplugged, it controlled everything.” “But if you start it up again, the drones will start up again!” Mellow exclaimed. “What drones?” Shetland let out a dry chuckle. “Me and… Diesel, we went looking and shot every single one of them. It is defenseless and if it's sentient, it will cooperate. Hopefully.” she added under her breath. “This Diesel-” “Don't ask.” “So, we can power up the A.I. Why would it cooperate?” “Because none of our crew knew this ship would be here, it's not one of ours! And why would you just put a ship somewhere into space, full of mindless drones about to board the next ship that falls for their trap?” she took a deep breath. “I think whoever they are, they have two ships. And one of them is in the colony right now, this one was just here to intercept us.” Mellow’s glowing eyes shrunk to tiny dots. “They have attacked Horizon?” Shetland nodded. “And this ship may have orders to return after the deed is done. And if we arrive in their own ship, we'll at least have surprise on our side, right?” “But how do you plan on convincing the A.I?” Mellow asked, his eyes blinding her as he met her eyes. “It's the only hope, Mellow.” Shetland muttered, gazing at the metallic walls. “And who do you think these attackers are? Two spaceships seems too expensive for simple pirates. What is your plan to beat them?” he asked inquisitively as he floated a step closer. “I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?” Shetland shouted, facing away from him completely. “Charge in and free the hostages and arm them somehow?” “What if there are no hostages, Shetland?” he asked, causing a cold shower to course through her. “They were fine murdering everypony here, why would they not-” “WE HAVE TO ASSUME!” she bellowed, her voice cracking. Her throat felt like a jawbot was inside, ripping at it's cage. “There are too many ponies in Horizon's port, far more than on one ship, there HAVE to be hostages!” she stated, glaring into Mellow's visor, daring him to disagree. He fell silent. “There could be more than a dozen adversaries, Shetland. How do you plan to defeat them?” he repeated after a long pause. Her eyes shifted to him, lingering on his visor as her expression shifted to… something he failed to identify, perhaps sadness? “I-It's all we have Mellow. We just have to hope for the best.” she muttered and floated into the bridge. The room was shaped like a rectangle, in contrast to the Esseles's circular bridge. She turned herself around, facing the dark cube behind the console. “Mellow, be ready, just in case I left one.” “Affirmative.” he responded. readying a rifle he'd picked up in the cargo. “Here goes nothing…” Praying it would work, she pushed the unplugged cable into the cube. As the green lights began to glow once more, she took a step back, leveling her own pistol at the object. “Startup sequence initiated… Memory loss due to power outage detected.” A voice intoned from above them. They nervously waited as it started to count percentages. Shetland licked over her lips, but all the moisture that should have been in her mouth was rolling down her forehead instead. “Repairs completed.” The voice reverberated through the room. “Enemies on board detected. Attempting connection to drone units-” “Don't you dare!” Shetland screamed, even as Mellow flinched under the volume. “I've got your core at gunpoint, any funny business and I'll blow it to pieces!” “Connection attempt aborted.” Under her helmet, Shetland let out a sigh. “Diplomatic route engaged. You have reactivated this unit. You should be aware that I am bound by programming to not reveal or hint towards my end user's identity.” Taking a deep breath, Shetland asked: “What is your purpose here?” “I have been tasked with finding the ship on course to Horizon, disposing of the crew and stripping the ship, as well as the cargo, of its most valuable parts.” “That was surprisingly helpful…” Mellow said, throwing a suspicious look over to Shetland. “Do you think she is lying?” “No.” Shetland glared at the cube, sunk in thought as its green light began hurting her eyes. “It makes sense, if my theory is correct. Well,” she declared loudly. “You failed! We destroyed your drones, we have you at gunpoint. There is no way you could kill us anymore.” “Processing… your statement it true.” it said, not showing a hint of emotion at the fact. “So…” Shetland said, hoping desperately her assumptions were correct. “It is time to move on to the next thing on the list?” “...This unit could wait for the enemy to die of natural causes.” It said. Shetland could hear the core's cooling unit pick up as it thought of the conundrum. “Isn't it usually the case that unmanned ships have to return after a certain date, whether or not they have achieved their objective?” she gulped, her mouth dry as a bone while her back was wet and itchy. The A.I didn't answer, but Shetland pressed on, forcing her voice to sound confident. “So, imagine I shoot your core to little bits. You wouldn't be able to return, ever. So, you have two options. Fail all your objectives and die, or only fail one… but return with us.” She took a deep breath, her eyes focused on the core as its cooling unit picked up. After several excruciating seconds, the cooler fell silent again. “Your reasoning is valid. Privilege granted. Awaiting your command.” It was as if a crushing weight had been lifted from her heart. She grinned over at Mellow. They'd have another chance. Turning back to the core, she placed her hoof on it. “Prepare for another power outage.” She warned it before yanking out the wire once again. “Why-” Mellow started, but Shetland interrupted him. “Lots to do, little time. I have to move everything we might need from our ship in here and you need to find anything that could be used for communication and destroy it! If they get a warning, we're screwed. You've got one hour.” Mellow saluted, pulling himself out of the room. Shetland's eyes rested on him and her brows furrowed before she shook her head. Shetland had separated ten large crates her own size and was closing an eleventh when Press joined her in the cargo. “Are we gonna use all that?” He asked, taken aback. “Hopefully not,” Shetland said with a sigh. “but it should be enough- HEY!” she shouted at Mellow, who had grabbed a crate. “I can help!” he protested. “They're really large, and if your leg is as busted as you say it is… what's in them anyway?” “I'll do it myself.” she said grimly. “They're weightless. And I have painkillers. YOU need to take some armor.” she pointed at a pile. “I put them all out, but I'm not sure of your size. And in this crate over there you'll find weapons. Get used to them.” “Are you certain you don't want my help?” “I'm certain!” she asserted, already beginning to tow the first crate. Assuming it was a thing of pride for the soldier mare, Mellow nodded. “Can I at least carry the guns?” “Huh?” Shetland seemed like she'd been ripped out of deep thought. “Yes, yes…” Once again, she stopped when she reached the tube, her eyes pulled towards her friend's body as if from an invisible force. “Do you want me to put the body away?” Mellow asked gently. “No!” she blurted out, but then shook her head, breathing in at a shaky, but controlled pace. “Yes...put it away… I need to stay focused.” When he returned, he looked at her empathetically.  “He was really very close to you, wasn’t he?” She nodded. “He… he was my closest buddy since… ever.” Her eyes took on a distant look. “He was always there for me when nopony else was. Even when mom wouldn't help me, he would.” her mouth felt impossibly dry as she bit her lip until blood flew, but the pain wouldn't come. She simply felt hollow. “He and Ciloa-” her voice broke. “I SHOULD HAVE SAVED THEM! Instead, I saw her sucked out, she was too far away, but Crimson-” she let out a sad chuckle. “He died trying to save her. Even though he only knew her for a few hours. He was a hero. T-the hero I should have been.” She felt something on her armor. Looking up, it was Mellow's hoof, then met his glowing lights with her own eyes. “There is nothing you could have done,” he said insistently. “If your friend was too far away, then there was nothing you could have done to save her. I believe you can be a hero, Shetland.” he said, prodding her armor again. “I believe you can save us.” Shetland turned her head, but Mellow followed, keeping his eyes in line with hers. She looked at him and opened her mouth, just to bite her own lip. “We have to get going, Mellow,” she mumbled, her voice hollow. “You can help with the crates, but don't open them, you could mess it up…” she forced out the words. He nodded, leaving her to work alone, and to her own thoughts. Half an hour later, Shetland went to the data core, where Mellow was already waiting, now wearing an armor like hers. Seeing him wearing a visor above his visor did bring a tiny chuckle out of her. She re-plugged the core. “Shall I execute your command now, intruder?” The voice asked. “Yes.” Shetland said simply, holding on as she heard the hatch to the tube close and the engines start. She turned to Mellow. “We can communicate over our helmets with one another. Once we're on the ground, whatever you do, don't take it off!” He nodded and she patted his shoulder. “This is our best chance,” she said, before she opened the door to the room in which she’d stored the crates. “Knock here about two hours before we land.” she told him, then locked the door behind herself. Landing on a planet was a hard task. Freighter ships like the Esseles weren't built to ever land at all. Instead, they would simply detach their cargo rooms and throw them into the planet's atmosphere, where it would be retrieved by pick-up teams from the surface. To make it as efficient as possible, they would use the cargo rooms themselves as well, combining them with existing structures. From above, the colony looked like a frantic mish-mash of glass-domes and metal tunnels and towers. But then the ship pulled up and Shetland lost sight of the spaceport. She and Mellow laid on the ground, securing themselves with their armor's magnetic hooves. But it did little to shield them from the tremors, which made Shetland’s teeth clatter and her stomach lurch. She felt the gravitational pull shift too, no more pulling them to the “side” and now “downwards”. As she tried with all her might to keep her head from hammering onto the wall, she prayed for a quick end. A sudden jolt went through the ship. The roar from the counter-thrusters was deafening. “Landing sequence engaged.” The A.I commented unemotionally. They braced themselves against the impact, and it felt like a major buck to the chest as the ship landed on one set of springy metal legs, then tipped over onto the others. Shetland jumped up first, grabbing several weapons out of a crate which had been secured next to them. A pistol, machine gun, shotgun. She added the weapons to her sides. Mellow reached out his hoof, but Shetland stopped him. “Mellow, you need to listen.” she stared into his visor intensely. “The plan is very risky, for both of us.” “I am ready.” he said with conviction. “To victory.” “Be very quiet.” she whispered, and pressed an assault rifle into his hoof. Her eyes darted back to him and she swallowed. His optimism and trust felt unbearable. But as she opened her mouth to address him, a knock of metal on metal sounded through the ship and a coarse voice shouted something in a throaty language: “This thing gonna open or what, tin can?” Shetland brought her gun at the ready, pointing at the door. Mellow silently copied her motion. A loud clank came from it, like whoever was on the other side had kicked it. Shetland reached over to the lever, looking to Mellow. He nodded and in one jerk, Shetland pulled the lever. The door slid open and she opened fire, her gun’s rapid fire blotting out the screams of surprise and anguish. Only when the screams stopped did she take a moment to examine the corpses. They were smaller than ponies, humpbacked and scrawny. Sharp teeth and pitch black eyes adorned their doggish faces. “Hyenas!” she cursed, but she had no time to solve that puzzle. She jumped over the bodies, looking around. Not too far off she saw a second, taller ship, the other hyena ship, she realized. Next to them was a large structure built from several cargo rooms. Halfway in between stood another hyena, fumbling with it's belt to get at it's weapon. Shetland fell it with a burst from her rifle. “GET IN COVER!” she screamed over her shoulder at Mellow, who fell back into the ship. She galloped over the open field, praying to Celestia as she slipped into the structure itself. They seemed to be as surprised from the attack as she’d hoped, as the main hall was virtually undefended, but that would change soon. Alarm sirens went off, hauntingly sounding after her as she took the leftmost path; the further she got away from the landing, the less resistance would come her way. It was a good thing she'd taken another painkiller before the landing, despite Mellow's warning. She'd have been severely hampered without it. She skidded to a halt in front of a door with scorch marks. One look confirmed this was the armory, stripped completely clean. She opened a drawer. Nothing. She'd have to find other weapons to give to the colonists, if she could even reach them. A hateful curse died on her lips. She heard paws hitting the ground. Breathing quickly, she forced her shaking hooves to calm as she hid around the corner, readying her weapon. Only a second later, a group of three hyenas burst into the room, two of them wearing armor close to Shetland’s own. However, her hearing had given her a warning they lacked and the air was filled with automatic fire as they struggled to find cover. One’s shield cracked in a split second. The unarmored one fell, joined by its friend, but the last had managed to take cover behind it's comrade. Shetland's weapon clicked. Her blood froze as the hyena jumped up with a victorious grin. Now Shetland was defenseless in the open. Shots slammed into her shield and she just managed to jump back around the corner as a final shot cracked her blue-ish layer and slammed into her shoulder. Biting her teeth, she grabbed her pistol and faced the hyena. Both quickly aimed. With a loud crack, the hyena’s head exploded. She sat back, gathering her breath for a moment. Her heart felt like it was going to burst and her mouth was dry. A red drop fell onto her visor. The hyena had shot her ear. A shiver went through her. A couple inches… She slapped her own helmet. Focus! she thought. Focus! Sliding a new magazine into her weapon, she took a new path, chased by the sound of distant gunfire. Hopefully, Mellow could handle himself. Bullets whizzed past Mellow as he ducked below his cover. He raised his rifle above his head and fired blindly. He'd had to fall back from his first cover already. The hyenas had employed some sort of magic shield to push forward, but he had found a bag of little hoofmade bombs, little more than powder-filled tincans with a fuse, but they'd done the job. But even with minor victories, he knew there was no winning this, his short peek had almost cost him his head and it only confirmed his fears. There were at least eight of them and he hadn't managed to injure even one. He grabbed another bomb from the bag, realizing he was already running low. “Wherever you are, Shetland,” he called over the helmet. “I hope you can come save me soon!” Just then, a cloud of black smoke appeared in the hallway and he was forced to retreat further into the ship. “Wherever you are, Shetland, I hope you can come save me soon!” His call sounded in her ears as she took another turn. She had arrived in a different sort of tight, maze-like hallway with doors on every side. She cursed again and again as she reached a dead end, helplessly looking at each door. Considering the proximity, she had swapped her rifle for her shotgun, but fights weren't her problem right now. Hot tears welled in her eyes as she ran back, hoping desperately to find a different- WHAM! She'd run into a hyena and the impact sent both stumbling back, Shetland onto her bad leg, which gave in, sending her to the ground. She tried to get up, but the hyena was faster, jumping at Shetland’s fallen shotgun. With a surge of anger, Shetland thrust her hoof against the beast, pinning it against the wall. It stared at her with startled, fearful eyes. Shetland pressed an armored hoof against its throat. “WHERE ARE THE COLONISTS?” she screamed in broken Hyeanidae. “DID YOU KILL THEM?” The hyena scowled, but Shetland pressed harder until it let out an almost pony-like giggle. Remembering it as a sign of submission, She let go of its throat, but before it could react, she grabbed her shotgun and pointed it at its chest. The hyena swallowed. “Y-you let me live if I tell you?” “TELL ME!” she screamed, pressing her gun's barrel against its abdomen. “And if I even suspect a lie-” “YOUR COLONISTS ARE ALIVE, PONY!” it shouted, eyes going wide with fear. “They're in the auditorium, all safe!” “How many? How do you defend them? How do I get there?” she asked, increasing the pressure of her gun against the panicking hyena's stomach. “A-around fifty or so.” It stammmered. “J-just from here, left door, right turn, straight ahead!” Sweat pooled from its head. “That's all I know, I swear!” Looking up into her visor, it's eyes were pleading. “D-don't kill me.” Shetland pulled back her gun, letting the hyena get up. “You'll sit this out!” she growled forcibly. The hyena let out a relieved laugh. “Y-yes, of course, I-I won't fight you, I'll stay right here, No problem!” With that, it turned away, bolstering a disbelieving grin. It evaporated as Shetland's hooves shot forward, grabbing its head and snapped it around. A loud crack filled the room and the body became lifeless, only the eyes rolling around to Shetland, asking. Shetland turned away, picking her gun up once more. Her breathing went shallow. Her leg began to hurt and she cursed the drug, it's duration shortened every time! Sucking in air, she pressed a hoof on her shoulder, where blood flowed over her armor. Funny, she hadn't noticed that. A thin stream had reached all the way down to her hooves… “Shetland?” The sudden scream snapped her back to the present. “Shetland, WHERE ARE YOU?” Mellow screamed. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off,  they're IN the ship, I'm out of bombs, thank Celestia you sealed every side door… Just HURRY, alright?” Narrowing her eyes, she grit her teeth to the point that they hurt and barreled forward. Large wooden doors locked off the auditorium. Shetland looked around, but there was no other door, only a vending machine on her side. Lacking any better idea, she peeked through the keyhole. Ponies, many of them, on benches, on top of or under seats, all in a semi-circle around the far stage where Shetland could just make out the back of one hyena. There would be more, she thought, but it was a start.  She angled her rifle and fired a large burst through the door, splintering the wood and judging from the anguished scream, catching a hyena in the volley. Then she jumped to the side, just in time to evade the return fire from what seemed like several automatic weapons. She ground her teeth, more would soon be upon her, she needed to end this now! “Shetland!” Mellows voice screamed again. “I-I just lost a hoof, I need help!” “I’M WORKING ON IT!” she shouted, firing blindly through the door, but she didn't dare fire at another angle, out of fear of hitting the ponies. The hyenas had no such scruples, forcing Shetland to duck behind the vending machine for cover. I need a plan! she thought as sizzling soda cans erupted from the machine. Just then someone bellowed a scream. At first she thought it came from Mellow, but then she spied through the badly splintered door. A group of hostages had snuck up on their wardens. One had went down, but the other, behind a metal desk for cover, wrestled with a pegasus mare for his weapon. Screaming, Shetland burst into the room. The pegasus looked up at her and the hyena smashed its paw on her head, pulled the gun free and shot a burst in her chest. It turned to face Shetland, but she was already ramming into it, forgetting all weaponry. Rage lead every strike against the crunching body, even as it stopped twitching, she would crack every last piece- It was as if a red mist had been lifted. Cold air tore into her lungs, her breathing was heavy. She suddenly saw down at herself, drenched in blood, her hooves beating on a formless body. Her head turned to the colonists. Some few were still cheering, but many stared in a look of horror, and most of them gathered around the body of the pegasus. One look confirmed there was no saving her, multiple holes in her chest, throat and legs… Unable to follow her last moments, Shetland let her eyes wander further. Some were looking sick. Some were desperately calling for a doctor. Others stomped on the body of the other hyena, their eyes filled with rageful tears. “Shetland?” The question came from Mellow. “I'm on my last cover, my visor is cracked, I can barely see, you have to come save me NOW!” His tone was hurried, desperate, despaired. “How many are there?” Shetland asked, looking over the colonists. With the dead hyenas, she had maybe four weapons to give to the ponies, maybe in a pincer move- “I don't know, they're swarming around the ship, but at least fourteen!” Fourteen!? Shetland’s blood froze in her veins. Cold sweat ran down her forehead. She looked over the colonists. Some of them seemed brave, but not like soldiers. Fourteen! Shetland's breath quickened, her throat was utterly dry. She'd taken on three at a time at best, WITH the element of surprise… they would be prepared. Armed. She took off her helmet as hot tears filled her eyes. She swiped them away with her hoof, but they were replaced instantly. She swallowed, and her throat hurt more than any injury she'd sustained. “I- I'm sorry Mellow.” she whispered into the helmet, her voice quiet, broken. “WHAT?” Mellow screamed incredulously. Shetland heard the sound of gunfire over his com. “YOU CAN'T! YOU HAVE TO COME SAVE ME, SHETLAND, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE, SHET-” Unable to bear his voice, she threw the helmet away, where it rolled under a seat. With shaking hooves, she opened a compartment in her armor, from which she pulled a little device with a red button, which quickly extended an antennae. She swallowed again, her hooves shaking nearly bad enough to drop it. She moved her dry lips, silently forming the words: “I'm sorry.” She pressed the button and all she managed to hear through the barrage of noise was the quiet crackle which had replaced Mellow's voice. She dropped. Her stomach twisted. She felt nauseous. Something wet dropped from her nose onto the ground. The hostages gathered around, unsure what to do of her strange behaviour, some asking what just happened. Shetland couldn't answer, she felt bile rise up her throat. Her skin felt cold. The atrocious crackle still rang in her ears and she dragged herself over the seat and stomped on the helmet, shot it, smashed it to pieces, but the sound wouldn't stop! Screaming, she got up, running and bursting through the wooden doors. She immediately spotted a pair of hyenas, but instead of opening fire, they screamed and turned to run. Shetland fired, cutting both of them down in an instant, then gave chase in blind fury. She didn't know how many she caught, only that she shot every single one that she found. Then, just as she reached the outside, she heard a mighty roar. The hyena ship's engines started up, carrying them away as they fled the colony. However, the sight that made Shetland drop was that of the burning wreckage that had both destroyed and saved her life just half a day ago. The fire was spreading and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. The colonists that caught up screamed, some fleeing, some trying to combat the fire. Some tried to drag Shetland away, but she was motionless. Despite the screams and the fire, she only heard a faint crackle. Her leg hurt. Breathing hurt. Flashing a smile, she fought with her armor to free a foreleg. From another compartment, she pulled out a syringe. She set it to her leg and pushed, it wasn't enough! Another one pierced her skin, and another. And as the drug flowed through her veins, the pain stopped and the horrible crackle was slowly replaced by the calming sound of her heart. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba- ba- dum, ba... dum… ba… Something cold touched her cheek, screaming filled the air, close to her ear, but Shetland simply smiled as she closed her eyes. The pain was gone, and the melody of her heart soothed her to sleep. Ba… ba… dum, ba… … ...