Prime Minister Sunflare was an experienced politician, but even shi had difficulty maintaining a professional demeanor during the following hours. The Equians were new and exciting, and the stunt that they had pulled with the storm front had fanned the flames of the imagination of the gathered crowd and hirself no less. Even after spending some time with Wandering, Starry, Eon, and Ixia, shi was just as intrigued by the visitors. The news that they had brought a potential way of defeating the invading Swarm had lifted a pall over the population’s spirit, and sheer joy and delight flooded the concourse. Hir empathic senses were flooded with goodwill and curiosity, and hir smile threatened to reach from ear to ear.
Shi stood aside, happy to cede the limelight to the Equians as they introduced themselves to their audience, and explained their mission and adventures. Although they were the center of attention, some of that goodwill would inevitably spill over to the chakat and hir administration. This was a good thing in more ways than one because, quite aside from hir career, shi was under no illusion that the battle with the Swarm was a foregone conclusion. Initial information supplied by Federation sources suggested that Chakona would have to gear up for an assault rather than the protracted defense that had them stalemated for years, and that would require resources of personnel and materiel heretofore not required. Riding the crest of popularity and excitement was going to make that task a lot easier.
When the Equians finally concluded their introduction to the people of Amistad, shi invited the visitors to join hir in a feast held in their honor. Much to the delight of the crowd, a few of the Lotus crew elected to stay and chat with the people, and the police who were controlling the throng were hastily organized to allow an orderly meet and greet while the rest of the crew accompanied Sunflare back into the government building. As they headed into the State Function Room, the chakat was unaware that every single one of those left behind was a changeling feasting on the emotions of the adoring crowd instead of the promised food inside. However, three-quarters of them were in the shape of various pony types or griffons, reflective of the relationships that they formed with other crew members. Being quite familiar with their adopted forms, they answered everyone’s questions about them, but even those changelings who retained their natural form found quite a few curious admirers. There were quite a few bloated bug-ponies by the time the meet-and-greet was shut down.
Meanwhile, the banquet that had been organized for the VIPs had been no less extravagant. Scattered among the guests were a number of other people invited to the event – some of them ministers from Sunflare’s administration, some important dignitaries from around Chakona, and several noted scientists in a variety of fields who had expressed interest in learning more about the strange new visitors. No speeches were made beyond the perfunctory one that Sunflare had given, inviting hir guests to enjoy the food and conversation. Although telekinesis was hardly unknown on that world, shi was not the only one to watch in fascination as horns had lit up to levitate utensils and glasses. However, even more fascinating was the impossible dexterity of those who had no horns and only hooves, and yet still managed perfectly well without telekinetic assistance. And the pegasi! How could feathers bend and curl like fingers?! Resisting the urge to gawp in amazement, shi made sure that every one of them had their fill of food and good company before reluctantly bringing the event to a close.
Sunflare stood up, holding a glass in one hand and tapping it with a spoon held in the other. Once shi had the room’s attention, shi smiled and said, “Once again, I welcome our visitors to our world. In order for you to enjoy it as much as possible during your stay, I have arranged to have issued to all of you special identification cards. These serve not only as visas for legal purposes, but they will also allow you to use public transport for free, and you can use them to charge all of your expenses to the government’s account.” Shi gave them a mock glare. “Within reason, of course.”
After the chuckles had died down, the Prime Minister continued. “We do this to show our thanks for what you have done, and that which you will be doing with us. All of Chakona sighed in relief with the news that at last some progress has been made in our fight against the invading Swarm, and this is the least that we can do to show our appreciation. We would also like to show off the best that this world has to offer, and I have arranged with a number of volunteers to provide assistance to you if you wish. They will be your tour guides or personal assistants if you have the need, but of course, you are quite free to travel on your own if you prefer. If any of you wish to make any special arrangements during your stay on Chakona, please see Mister Wyld who would be pleased to help you. Local hotels have been informed of your plans to visit for a couple of weeks and will be delighted to extend their amenities to all of you. So, in conclusion, on behalf of the Stellar Federation, please enjoy our hospitality.”
Sunflare was a little bemused by the odd mixture of hoof-stomps, chirps, and screeches that apparently passed for applause from hir guests before they settled down to conversation and making arrangements with the staff to enjoy their first vacation in over ten years. Some plans were prosaic, but many others intended to make the most of their opportunity. Chakona would never be the same again!
A flock of pegasi headed inland, cresting over Mount Catspaw and jinking around the spaceport. Aside from being warned away from that area and cautioned about other air traffic, the winged ponies were given permission to explore where they wished. There was no particular plan to their flight – they just wanted to enjoy the feeling of unlimited flight without the burden of expectations nor the restrictions of an enclosed space. Basically, they played and delighted in the feel of the wind in their mane and sunlight on their backs as they went sightseeing. Sometimes they would swoop down close to ground level and give the locals a thrill before heading off once more. Life was good.
For Techbird, her idea of a vacation was finding out where the nearest major library was and making a beeline for it. Galena accompanied her to the Amistad University Library along with a couple of drones. The changeling princess had a fair idea of what to expect for the next few days, and she made sure that her companion had the resources to deal with whatever her research turned up. The changelings were happy enough to attend to the crystal griffon’s needs even as they snacked on the happy scientist’s joy in discovering whole new fields of study. Seasoning it all was the hope that she would find more clues to answer the Question that drove her ever onwards. Galena had other plans though, and while Techbird was busy with her quest, the princess was looking into more of what this new world had to offer. If she could find what she was looking for, she had a proposal for her beloved.
Coldfire and Xanth took a more sedate approach to sightseeing. With the help of one of the volunteer helpers, they had hired a stroller and were taking Skyborn on his first outing. Their guide was taking them on a tour of Amistad, but they often had to pause as many of the locals wanted to have a look at their child, cooing and fussing over the foal. Because they had plenty of days ahead of them to get to see more, the couple was more than happy to stop and share their delight in the cute youngster. Xanth was almost literally bursting with the pride in his wife and son by the time they called it a day and headed for a beachside hotel. After his mother gave him a feed, Skyborn was put to bed and Coldfire joined Xanth out on the balcony that overlooked the bay that Amistad was built around. She snuggled up to her chosen mate and kissed him.
“Happy, hon?” she asked.
“As much as you and more. It’s been a perfect day, hasn’t it?”
“It has. Do you think Amistad would make a good place to settle down?”
The changeling looked at her in surprise. “Settle down? We’ve been here one whole day and you’ve already decided you want to stay?”
Coldfire giggled. “It’s been such a welcoming world – why wouldn’t I? But really, it’s about our foal. I’m thinking that we can’t go on too long as starship crew with his welfare to keep in mind. I’m just looking into possibilities of places to settle down.”
Xanth nodded thoughtfully. “It’s a bit soon to make that kind of a decision, but from what I have seen of this world so far, it would definitely be a contender for a place for us to settle down. But I think that’s a decision for the future us. Right now, present me just wants to make love to present you.” He gave her a long and heartfelt kiss.
When they pulled apart once more, she replied, “Funny – I was just thinking the same thing.”
Helen Baines had been born and bred on Earth, but shi was not enamored with hir home-world. As a hermaphrodite, shi was frequently considered a freak even among the morph population there. Shi joined the Double H Club, more euphemistically known as the Herm Haven, when shi was a teenager, and while hir gender gained hir acceptance there, shi never met anyone for whom shi felt any attraction. Hir excellent academic achievements gained hir a scholarship to Star Fleet Academy, and at last shi was able to be hirself in the company of the various races of the Federation. Not only were there a high number of other herm species numbered among them, such as the chakats and stellar foxtaurs, there were also the cyclic herm skunktaurs, and the Merraki who started life as females until they mated and laid a clutch of eggs, upon which they all changed permanently to males. Shi was no longer a freak, but just another of the varied species that formed the greater civilization. But shi was still alone. It was not as if shi did not want a companion, but either they turned out to be incompatible or lost interest in learning that shi was a herm. Shi could not blame those ones – most beings were attracted to the opposite sex and shi was under no illusion that being both sexes was the same thing. However, to avoid disappointment, shi began to always let interested persons know right up front that shi was a hermaphrodite. Ortzi had been a big surprise to hir though. Not only had he not known what a herm was, he was utterly indifferent to the fact after shi had elucidated him. The griffon had found hir attractive for some reason, and he had persisted in his naïve and adorable way. For the first time in years, the rabbit morph had been intrigued. Shi could not explain it – the griffon was much larger than hir, and his talons and beak should have been a source of concern. Instead, shi got a delicious thrill in being close to him, and he had been nothing but gentle and caring, always interested in what shi liked and wanted. Shi had quickly been hooked.
Ortzi had been interested in seeing more of the city, and Helen had been happy to play guide as this was not hir first visit to Chakona’s capital. The odd couple had certainly drawn their share of curious stares, and a few people had been a little concerned about hir predator companion. However, the rabbit had felt safer than ever in his company, and shi reveled in every moment of being with him. The sun was setting over the ocean when the couple had made their way down to the beach. The earlier storm had lowered the temperature and driven away a lot of the beach-goers, and they found a relatively empty stretch of dunes to settle down on a blanket and snuggle for a while before sharing the food that they had brought with them.
As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Ortzi put a wing around hir as a fresh breeze began to blow. Shi looked up at him and found his eyes gazing back at hir fondly. Shi nuzzled him and ruffled his chest feathers, enjoying their closeness.
“Helen,” the golden eagle griffon began, “I know that we met only days ago, but I believe we share something wonderful. Will you be my special someone?”
The rabbit felt a special warmth flow through hir at that question. “You want to go steady with me?” shi asked.
Ortzi considered the unfamiliar phrase before replying. “No, I want more. I want you to consider me as a potential mate.”
Now Helen was surprised. “You’re proposing? Ortzi, do you think we can make this relationship work in the long term? We come from two very different worlds and cultures.”
“Do you care about that?” he asked simply.
Shi shook hir head. “Right now, I only care that I am with you. I have been waiting for you all my life, and I have no desire to let you go.”
“I feel the same. No hen or mare has ever interested me as you do. I don’t want that to end, so I ask you again – will you…”
Helen gave the cat-bird a fierce hug, interrupting his proposal. “Yes! Yes, I will!”
Ortzi put a foreleg around Helen and pulled hir in tighter, and the couple stayed in their embrace for several long minutes before the rabbit gently pulled away.
“There’s a hotel a hundred meters or so back that way. Will you join me tonight?”
“If that is your wish, then it would be my pleasure to accept,” he replied.
They gathered the blanket and put it in the basket that they had brought the food in before making their way leisurely in the direction of the hotel. The front desk staff was surprised to see the griffon, but after checking in a pegasus and a changeling already, they were no less professional about setting up a nice room for them. They made their way up to their suite and as soon as the door had closed behind them, Helen turned and gave hir companion a big kiss.
“Ortzi – I… I’ve never made love before.”
The griffon shrugged and said, “Neither have I. Let’s learn together, shall we?”
Helen almost shyly unfastened hir dress and let it fall to the floor. “Do you like what you see?” shi asked.
“I always have,” Ortzi replied before sweeping hir off hir feet and carrying hir to the bed.
The two made love in a clumsy but enthusiastic way, discovering what each other liked the most. Sometimes it was silly, and they both had fits of giggles, but mostly it was passionate and very pleasurable. Eventually, they were satiated, and Helen laid hir head on Ortzi’s chest as he lay on his back, breathing heavily from their exertions.
“Honey?” Helen said.
“Hmm?” Ortzi replied.
“Could you imagine what a child of a rabbit morph and a griffon would be like? Because if it was possible, I would be very pregnant with one right now.”
“You’re on heat? I should have realized. Anyway, you don’t have to imagine it if you don’t want.”
Helen lifted hir head to look at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“There are magic spells to make different species compatible. I’m sure that they could come up with one for us if that is what you really wish.”
The rabbit shook hir head in wonder. “This magic is going to take some getting used. So is the thought of actually being a mother. I think we can put that off for a few years yet.”
Ortzi nodded. “I agree. I think we should spend that time growing closer.”
Helen giggled. “I don’t think we could possibly be closer than we just were.”
“Silly bunny,” the griffon said before embracing hir once more. “I look forward to our future together.”
“Me too.” Shi was silent for a while before saying, “I wonder what the others are doing?”
Emerald Green and Skye Path had spent the afternoon checking out the botanic gardens. They finished the day in a restaurant in the midst of the gardens where they attracted a lot of attention from the locals. They spent the rest of the evening chatting with the patrons who spent more money on food and alcohol than they might otherwise have. The restaurant’s owner was very pleased and urged the Equians to visit again soon.
Galen Bluequill had gathered with some other griffs to stretch their wings, and after a discreet enquiry with a local guide, went on a hunting trip. It was catch and release only, but the griffons were happy to be able to exercise their skills again after so long away. Then Galen found out about local sports competitions and they went to check out a game called ‘chakker’. They were hooked immediately. Many eyebrows were raised days later when every griffon brought a haul of chakker swag back to the ship with them.
“Pass the popcorn,” Eon said.
Ixia absentmindedly passed the huge bucket to the dracopony, her eyes never leaving the screen.
Eon sighed. Chick-flicks seemed to be a universal plague. What he went through for his fillyfriend!
After the crew had dispersed to pursue their individual desires, Wandering and Starry had thanked the Prime Minister for being a wonderful host and then spent the remainder of the day playing tourist in Amistad with Boyce and Forestwalker as their guides. As no one was hungry due to the feast, they didn’t bother with a restaurant until late in the afternoon, and even then they chose a fast-food place so that they could continue walking around. The alicorns did a lot of waving and returning the greetings of the locals who had seen the Equians on the news, but generally, the people left them to enjoy their afternoon in peace before they all headed back to the spaceport. As Boyce flew them home, they discussed what they would do over the coming days, eventually deciding to do a whirlwind tour of the planet to look at its highlights.
Upon entering the chakat clan’s home, they found the cubs and some of the adults watching the television in the living room. Goldfur offered to make some refreshments while they waited for the show to end, and they could chat about the day’s events. Wandering and Starry settled onto a couch, idly looking at the TV program about a rainforest on Didwana.
“It’s an educational vid,” Forestwalker explained.
The alicorns nodded in understanding and kept watching along with the others.
Goldfur returned with tea and cookies just as the program segued into an advertisement. However, the screen abruptly darkened and the sound died away. After about two seconds of black screen, a voice started to speak while strange shapes and colors panned across the screen, all of them tinged black and silver.
“Against all odds they made it. Cheered on by their home-world; driven by the need to explore; welcomed by Chakona...”
The lights slowly came on to reveal a strange chimera-like being. Those from Equus knew him as Flix, but most of the chakat family were seeing him for the first time.
“I am Prince Flixtradamus.” He smiled, his talons began to glow with a strange light as his large wings started to flap, raising him slowly in the black void.
“And I am Princess Orlonda,” a second voice spoke up as the changeling took flight as well, her horn starting to glow just as bright.
Then they both spoke at once, their voices synthesizing together to create strange harmonic tones that caused the listeners to get pleasant shivers and chills up and down their spines and up the back of their necks. The screen zoomed in and focused on just their eyes as they began to glow.
“Amistad Entertainment District – 1900 hours!”
The commercial went dark with only the two sources of magic as sources of light appearing like stars. A dance beat was starting to slowly build up, that harmonic voice starting to speak again causing more of those sensations; the cadence and tempo starting to make hearts beat faster, breathing happen faster.
“When I count down to zero, you will enter a brand new world – a world of pounding beats, pure melodies, and euphoria.”
The screen started to light up once more, revealing a large stage with speakers upon speakers. The two beings started to spiral outward, the room changing to look like more and more like a club. Judging by how fast they were spiralling outward, it looked to be quite large.
“In a universe where everything changes, stars fall out of existence, boundaries are broken, and reality shifts, one thing will always remain the same.”
The pace and tempo started to pick up as the deep bass seemed to roll through the area. It looked like the room was changed into a giant circular rave stage, absolutely massive in scale.
“Three!”
The lasers turned on and started sweeping the room.
“Two!”
The UV lights started to come on and flicker, making the room shift between what it looked like normally in the dim club light and then the strange tribal motif that was revealed when the right type of light hit the seemingly invisible paint.
“One!”
The pair moved up as the camera followed them for what seemed like forever before it slowly panned around the grinning pair. Below them was the massive warehouse-like club in the centre of the arts district. From that vantage point, anyone could figure out where the club was, and with four hours until it opened, most could figure out a way to get there on time.
“Welcome... to the Conclave!”
The transmission abruptly ceased and faded back to a different commercial.
“I’m a happy puppy dog!”
“He’s a happy puppy dog!”
“Ra! Ra! Ra! It’s good!”
Boyce and the other adults blinked in astonishment.
“What the heck was that all about?” Goldfur demanded.
Before either alicorn could answer, there was a burst of light which faded to reveal the pair in question.
Flix grinned and said, “Hi guys! I see you caught our ad. What do you think of our new nightclub?”
“Did you just use magic to override their broadcast?” Wandering asked.
“Don’t worry, bro – I sent the network some bits to pay for it.”
Starry looked at Flix in disbelief. “You paid for an ad? How in Mama Luna’s name did you pay for all that?!” She gestured at the screen despite it not showing the nightclub anymore.”
“Like this.” Flix snapped his dragon paw talons and a pile of gold bits appeared.
Goldfur stepped up and took a handful of the coins and hefted them. “Are these pure gold? They feel like they weigh enough.”
Flix looked offended. “Of course they’re real gold. I wouldn’t cheat the people who sold the property to me.”
“How many of these have you been using to pay for things?”
“Well, I don’t have one of your electronic accounts, so… lots?”
The chakat frowned. “You can’t just dump all this gold into the market at once – you’ll depress its value and affect the economy.”
Flix rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on – you’re exaggerating things.”
Goldfur stepped up to the chimera and started wagging a finger in his face. “Nobody can leave my home in the morning and own a custom designed and fully equipped nightclub by the evening without throwing around a tonne of money. Don’t tell me that I’m exaggerating!”
Flix looked around at the other family members and gave them a sad face. “Is shi always such a stick in the mud?”
Some of the younger cubs giggled and one replied. “Yeah – mom’s always like this.”
“I see. Do you think shi needs a timeout?”
“What?!” Goldfur objected.
“Time out!” the cub agreed, and then the other youngsters gleefully added their voices and a chant started up. “Timeout! Timeout! Timeout!”
Flix snapped his talons once more and an overly ornate cord was suddenly hanging from the roof. He indicated the cord to the first cub. “Here – you may have the honor.”
Goldfur put hir hands on hir hips and glared at Flix. “What are you up to n-o-O-O-o-o-w-w-w…?”
As the chakat had been talking, the cub had pulled the cord and a trapdoor opened beneath Goldfur, sending hir plummeting into the depths. Then the trapdoor snapped shut and the floor was as unmarked as it had always been.
“What did you do to Goldfur?!” Forestwalker squawked.
“I suppose shi’s in your basement,” Wandering replied.
“We don’t have a basement!”
The alicorn looked at Flix and asked with a sigh, “Where is shi, Flix?”
“Someplace where shi might learn to loosen up a bit,” he replied.
“Specifically…?”
The chimera just grinned. “Ask hir when shi gets back. Meanwhile, drop by our nightclub when you get a chance. It’s gonna be awesome!” He held up his talons once more.
“Wait, Flix!” Starry started to say.
But the talons snapped and Flix and Orlonda were gone.
“What’s going to happen about Goldfur?” Boyce asked sternly.
“For starters, stop worrying,” Wandering replied. “Flix may be mischievous, but he’s not malicious. He would never let anyone get actually harmed by his pranks.”
“You don’t know that is true for Goldfur though.”
The stallion gave the human his most serious look. “Yes, I do. He didn’t always look like he does now. He sacrificed much to save a lot of people years ago, and not only had those changes happen to his body, but he was also petrified for decades until the effects of his huge spell wore off. He’s a hero, Boyce, and while he may behave in a chaotic manner, his heart is good. Whatever has happened to Goldfur, shi’s safe and well. Whether shi’s enjoying the experience is a whole other question, but I suspect that shi’s been stuck in some awkward situation that Flix would consider amusing. Shi will survive that, I’m sure.”
Boyce rubbed his forehead to allay an incipient headache. “Are we going to have these problems when we talk with the Federation Council?”
“Probably not; he wouldn’t screw up something that important. Besides, I suspect he’ll be preoccupied with his new project. That nightclub is so him.”
Forestwalker slowly sank to the floor with relief and said, “As long as my sister is going to be fine, I suppose I’ll stop worrying. Remind me not to get into a pranking war with Flix though – I suspect that even with the whole clan versus him, we’d still lose.”
Starry nodded. “That’s what you get when you deal with the prize student of the Lord of Chaos.”
Over the following days, Starry and Wandering enjoyed travelling around Chakona, occasionally hearing news about what some of the other crew were up to. Nothing called for the captain’s attention though, and aside from ensuring that Radiance Point took his mandated break, the alicorn let himself completely relax for the duration of his holiday. He and Starry got the chance to be an ordinary couple for a change, albeit under extraordinary circumstances. They could not completely escape their notoriety, but he had always enjoyed interacting with other cultures anyway, so it was not a problem. He almost regretted having to go back to work, but his sense of responsibility drew him back to where they had started – the chakat clan’s home.
Wandering and Starry were saying their farewells to everyone when a door appeared on an otherwise blank wall. The door burst open and Goldfur charged through with a young pegasus foal riding hir back, wielding an extra-long glow-stick like a lance. The chakat skidded to a halt when shi realized where shi was and the filly sprang off hir back. One look at Starry and the foal’s eyes widened in delight. She leapt at the mare and started hugging her madly.
“Hi, Auntie Starry!”
Starry’s expression was confused. “What? Who is this?”
From behind her, Starry heard a more familiar voice. “Ooh, your mom is going to kill me, Thera.”
The alicorn mare turned to see her brother standing behind her. “When did you get here, Flix?”
“Who do you think opened that door?” He pointed at it, and only then did everyone notice that they could see some very surprised ponies on the other side including Twilight Sparkle.
“Who’s this then?” Starry asked, indicating the foal who was still attached to her legs.
“Let me introduce Princess Antikythera Path, daughter of Queen Crystal Path and Cloud Thumper. She’s a big fan of you and the Cosmic Lotus.”
“You mean she’s a changeling hybrid?” Starry looked at the madly grinning filly.
“Sure am, Auntie!” She flared with magic green fire briefly to reveal a Blue Changeling princess before resuming her pegasus form.
“And she loves chakat rides,” Goldfur added with a smile. “The Princess decreed that I was her royal steed.”
“I see that we have a lot to catch up on, Goldie,” Forestwalker said as shi stepped up to give hir sister a hug from the side.
The chakat cubs stepped up, squealing in delight, and one said to the filly, “Eeee! Hi! I’m Aura.”
“I’m Thera. Eeee!” she squealed back.
All the cubs joined the foal in squealing with joy before they suddenly all ran off together.
“Where has my daughter gone?” came a new voice from the magic doorway.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the elegant changeling queen who entered the room.
Wandering said, “Hi, Crystal. Thera’s run off with some new friends. You should have sent us some more recent photos – neither Starry nor I recognized her until Flix introduced her.”
Crystal rubbed her head with her hoof. “She’s such a hoofful. Thumper and I are always getting her out of mischief somewhere. I suppose she will be fine in the company of children her own age.” The changeling looked around. “So I’m on Chakona now?”
“Yep. This is my home,” Goldfur answered.
“May I have a look around as long as I am here?” Crystal asked.
“I’ve been your guest for long enough, so please make yourself at home here.”
“Thank you. Now please pardon me while I go make sure that my youngest daughter isn’t starting anything too drastic.” She headed off in the direction of the sound of happily squealing children.
“This door is amazing,” Twilight said as she stood in the portal between two worlds. “I really need to examine the nature of this chaos magic more closely.”
“And that’s my mom the nerd,” Wandering announced as he trotted over to give her a hug. “As long as you’re here, Boyce and his family were throwing us a farewell dinner. Would you like to join us?”
“You would be very welcome, Princess,” Boyce added.
“No titles, please,” Twilight replied. “You’ve been like a family to Wandering, Starry, Skye, and Eon while they stayed with you, so I feel like you’re part of our House too. I’d be delighted to accept your invitation. I hope to be able to extend the same courtesy when you visit Equus.”
“Technically, all I need to do is step through that door and I’d be on Equus now,” Boyce pointed out.
Twilight chuckled. “Yes, that’s true, but it’s only mid-morning there.”
“And it’s dinner time here,” Forestwalker said pointedly. “Come to the table or starve!”
Getting the excited children to the table had been the hardest part, but then there was a lot of conversation over the extended mealtime. Goldfur talked about hir time spent on Equus, while the Equians regaled everyone with tales of their adventures on Chakona. Flix even behaved himself although he chuckled a lot at Goldfur’s earliest experiences in Equestria.
Sooner than anybody wished, it was time to go. Crystal herded a reluctant Thera back through the portal, and Twilight gave her family members a hug each before she too went through the magic doorway. It snapped shut and faded out of existence along with the one who had created it.
Wandering said, “It has been the greatest pleasure knowing you all, and Starry and I thank you for your magnificent hospitality.”
Both alicorns had to hug every member of the chakat clan before they were allowed to leave. Then they teleported to the agreed rendezvous point where they met the rest of the crew and started to teleport them back to the Cosmic Lotus. Wandering was surprised though when Ortzi stepped up with Helen by his side.
“Captain – Helen wants to join us on our ship.”
Wandering’s eyebrow shot up. “Any reason why? And even so, shi’s Star Fleet and a member of Boyce’s crew. I can’t just take hir with us.”
“Helen is my betrothed,” Ortzi replied simply.
The alicorn blinked in surprise. “Isn’t that awfully fast? You’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks.”
The griffon merely shrugged. “If you find your soulmate a couple of thousand light-years from home, you don’t let hir go. You know you belong together.”
Wandering could not argue with that. Nevertheless, he still had a problem. “Look – I’ll take hir up to the Lotus, but shi has to talk with Admiral Kline about this. Whatever he says, I won’t argue with. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Captain!” Ortzi and Helen chorused.
Once everyone was aboard the Cosmic Lotus, Wandering contacted the Pegasus from the privacy of his stateroom. By this time, Boyce had shuttled up to his ship via his skiff, and he was preparing for departure along with the Equians.
“Captain Path to Admiral Kline.”
“Kline here, Captain. Are you prepared for departure already?”
“Not at all, Admiral. I have one of your crewmembers here with a request.”
“Oh? Put hir on, please.”
By using that specific pronoun, Wandering was fairly sure that Boyce already was aware that he was a crewperson short.
Helen stepped up to the comm. “Lieutenant Helen Baines here, sir.”
“Why aren’t you aboard your ship, Lieutenant?”
“Sir – I request a temporary transfer to the Cosmic Lotus for the duration of our journey to Earth.”
“And why would I grant that request?”
“Sir – I… Ortzi and me… well, we…”
“Ortzi and Helen are betrothed, Admiral,” Wandering interrupted. “They would like to be together as much as possible.”
“That was awfully fast,” Boyce replied.
“I said exactly the same thing, Boyce, but there’s one thing that you should know about griffons. They have the ability to recognize a soulmate and will pursue that relationship fiercely. My herd-mother felt the same about my herd-father and were betrothed within days. They adored each other right up until the day she died.”
“I see. Nevertheless, my crewperson has hir duty to perform.” Helen started to sag in disappointment, but the Admiral continued. “It’s a good thing then that we need a specialist to continue studying your magitek systems. I can’t think of a better opportunity than right now.”
Helen’s face lit up with delight. “Thank you, sir!”
“Report to my ready room for your new assignment, Lieutenant. You will be joining the rest of the crew temporarily assigned to the Cosmic Lotus. And hurry it up – we depart in half an hour.”
“On my way, sir!”
“Cosmic Lotus out,” Wandering concluded the transmission.
“Can you do the honors, Captain?” Helen asked.
Wandering smiled. “My pleasure, Lieutenant.” With a flare of his horn, he teleported Helen over to the Pegasus. With a smile on his face, he then headed out to the bridge.
As the alicorn stepped into the ship’s control room, he took stock of the new equipment that had been installed. Although he had been given reports on everything that had been done to his ship, this voyage was going to be as much a learning experience for him as for the rest of the bridge crew. Fortunately, they had been assigned an experienced helmsman from the Pegasus who would be training everyone on the new systems as they travelled to Earth. The Caitian female saluted the alicorn before turning her attention back to Playbitz whom she was instructing.
Wandering took his place in the command chair and hit the internal comm button. “Bridge to Engineering.”
“Radiance Point here, Captain.”
“Are your new toys ready, Point?”
“All systems tested and warp drive ready to go, sir.”
Wandering could hear the excitement in his engineer’s voice. “Excellent. Departure in twenty minutes.”
“This is going to be awesome, Captain!”
Wandering chuckled as he cut the connection. He spent the next fifteen minutes observing final preparations and readiness reports coming in. With five minutes to go, he got a request from Baines to beam over which he granted. Moments later, the rabbit morph materialized in the designated teleport area, dressed in hir Star Fleet uniform. Helen put down hir duffel bag of personal possessions and saluted.
“Lieutenant Helen Baines reporting for duty, Captain.”
“At ease, Lieutenant. Welcome to the crew. I believe you know where to find Engineering. Got to start earning your keep.”
Helen smiled. “Yes, sir. Thank you, Captain.”
“Dismissed.” As the rabbit left the bridge, Wandering said, “Helm – is the course laid in?”
The Caitian turned and said, “Laid in and ready for departure, Captain.”
“Good. May I ask your name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘Helm’.”
“I am Lieutenant Commander M’Ranna Karranis, sir.”
“Well, Lieutenant Commander, this is not a military ship, and while we still maintain a certain level of command discipline, we tend to be less formal about addressing each other. May I call you just M’Ranna?”
The Caitian thought for a moment then nodded. “That would be acceptable, sir.”
“Great. Let’s get underway.” Wandering hit the Public Address button on his command chair. “Attention all crewmembers! Prepare for departure for Earth in one minute.” He shut off the P.A. and turned to Bluequill. “Status report!”
“All stations report readiness, Captain.”
“Excellent. Okay, people – vacation’s over. Cosmic Lotus is back on mission.” He looked over at the helm as the final seconds ticked over and gave M’Ranna a smile. “I believe the correct term is – ‘Engage!’.”
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