Chapter 4
--
First contact is risky business. The Relay 314 Incident and the Parnack Massacre are prime examples. – Liselle O’Tyr, “Interspecies Interactions”, 2160 CE
--
“I passed a settlement while landing. So there’s a society here. Appears agrarian in nature, from the lack of large heat sources. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Sev – hold your fire. We’re not damned Citadel ambassadors and I don’t want to cause an incident because ‘the safety was off’.”
“I’m here to protect you. If that’s what you want, fine. But it’s your life on the line.”
“Sounds good to me.” Levin folded an assault rifle, a lightweight Avenger model, and placed it onto the back of his armor. Riana, meanwhile, had gone for an old, battered Predator pistol. Sev noted that the only other weapon on the ship was the flamethrower, which now sat in a charging cradle.
“I’ve marked the estimated location of the engine section on the omni-tool. Airlock sealed. Helmets on?” Riana asked.
Both males nodded. Riana pushed a button next to the outer airlock door. Slowly, the great durasteel door inched upwards, letting natural sunlight play across the metal floor.
A flat area of land lay before them. Trees of the same type were planted in long, straight rows, and in the distance a large house could be seen. The style of the house was curious – a rural human building, but with odd protrusions and additions that reminded Riana of a skyscraper on Ilium. The ground immediately beneath them was earth that lay fallow – in between crop rotations, Levin reasoned. Sev’s attention was drawn to a nearby grove of trees; according to his helmet VI, there were two beings of immense biotic power within.
The signal from those two sources drowned out anything nearby. Sev was reminded of a previous contract in which he’d fought through a scrapyard of starships. The remaining eezo in the ship cores had played havoc with his VI, and he’d had to rely on his eyes. On the other hand, his enemies were similarly handicapped.
On this planet, everything has eezo in them. Like Thessia, but thousands of times the concentration.
Through the trees, he could see a group of animals – quadruped mammals, each one seemingly a different color, the group forming colorful blob that clashed horribly against the dark brown and green of the trees. Some of them were wearing golden clothes, and others had head-decorations. Sev wondered offhandedly how they could have survived without camouflage. He’d heard of colorful frogs that used their color to warn predators about their poison.
Best not to get too close, just in case.
Levin shut the door behind them using his omni-tool, and then started to plod towards the nearby forest. Riana and Sev followed behind. Sev shared his thoughts with the other two.
Riana nodded. There was no point in looking for more danger.
-&-
“Guys, do you see that?” Rainbow Dash’s voice hissed downwards from the tree, in which she was currently sitting, concealed within the leaves.
Everypony else moved into better position to observe the aliens.
Twilight’s inner scientist exclaimed in happiness as she watched the behaviors and actions of beings from other worlds. She saw 3 huge creatures – they were all as tall as or taller than Princess Celestia. 2 of them were slim but the third towered over the other two. It was massive, wider at the torso and head area than the leg area; Twilight was reminded of a Diamond Dog, only taller and with shorter arms. All of them had some sort of exoskeleton that made their skin appear smooth, although one of them had an orange light on its arm. Although it’s too edged to be natural bioluminescence– alien technology! Wow!
Twilight almost jumped up and down in joy, but the memory of the dead manticore came back to her. She still couldn’t suppress a massive grin as she watched from the shadow under the apple tree. The aliens soon disappeared into the Everfree Forest’s foliage, and she couldn’t help but feel a tug at her hooves telling her to follow.
Apparently Celestia had the same idea. “We’ll wait half a minute, and then follow them. This should give us some time in case they are hostile.”
-&-
“We’re being followed,” Sev hissed. Despite knowing of his armor’s sound-proofing, it was still an old habit he’d had. His helmet VI showed the same group of biotics moving with them, constantly at a distance of about 100 meters behind.
“What – ah, it’s probably the indigenous people. Fire when fired upon,” Levin responded after turning his head to check. “Nothing up front, though-ah. Shit.”
The three reached a chasm, almost 20 meters from edge to edge. A river flowed lazily at the bottom of the gap, almost 50 meters away from the edge. A fall at this height would almost certainly break bones, and there was no help to be found this far out in uncharted space.
They could see the straight lines of the wreck’s engine compartment off in the distance. It was covered in vegetation and what seemed to be an old ruin had been built atop it. Probably a temple, Riana thought.
“Riana – biotic charge?” Levin’s question sounded more like a plea.
“Sorry – no combat training. I don’t know how.”
“Shuttle, then. You said there was no clearing? And the river goes all around?” Sev said, shaking his head.
Levin nodded. "None that I could scan from orbit, at least."
“You can drop us off on the other side with the shuttle. There’s no space to park, but if we contact you again when we’re done, you can pull us out,” Riana offered.
“Then let us return to the corvette.” Sev turned, and then sighed. “Fuck. The biotics are in between us and the ship.”
“Can’t we just go around them?” Riana asked.
“No, unless the idea of cutting a new swath through the jungle interests you.”
“We’ll just ignore them. Walk past as if nothing is wrong.”
Levin’s voice interrupted them. “Too late. They’re here. Surrounding us.” It was flat – emotionless.
Sev had noticed thanks to his 240 degree field of vision, but Riana whirled around, looking away from Sev and towards Levin. Levin had already unfolded his Avenger and was pointing it into the undergrowth. Sev also made to unfold the Striker from his back. Levin had walked backwards until he stood side by side with Sev, so that the three formed a line parallel to the edge of the chasm.
Sev switched on the broadcast function on his omni-tool. This allowed speech inside his armor to be projected to the outside world via small speakers built into the armor.
After a moment, one of the biotics pushed through the undergrowth to reveal themselves. The fact that they hadn’t even tried to hide suggested either overpowering strength or a desire for co-operation rather than conflict. Perhaps both, according to the HUD. If it got the first hit, that would probably be lethal.
It was one of the mammalian quadrupeds he’d detected earlier. It was close to 6 feet tall and had a horn on its head and wings on its torso, with a white coat. Its head and body were connected by a long neck, which was about the length of its body, giving the impression that its body had been shortened. Its eyes were large, about the third the size of its head, with purple irises. I wonder why? The light level here is not low. At a closer range, he could see its long head hair flowing as if it was caught in wind – Dangerous to have long hair; someone could pull on it and snap your neck – a sure sign of massive biotic power. He’d seen the same effect on human biotics that he’d worked with and killed over his career, although not to this extent. The mass effect field emitted it must be immense, Sev concluded. Prioritize.
After another few seconds a group of about 50 other quadrupeds also revealed themselves. They were shorter, about a meter tall, with large heads and comparatively small torsos. Riana was reminded of a form of animal from Earth – a ‘horse’, was that it? – but with different proportions, stereoscopic vision and biotic ability. Many of them were wearing golden helmets and armor plate, although the style looked ancient – Riana was reminded of the Roman period of human history. Must be gold paint or gold leaf, she concluded. There’s no way they’d be able to stand if it was real. Many of them were also carrying suitably ancient weaponry – metal spears resembling lengthened arrowheads were the weapon of choice. Those weapons were also leveled at the three.
In return, the three kept their weapons up. Riana’s pistol was held tightly in her hands, and her armor started to emit faint wisps of blue. Levin tried to summon his omni-tool discretely, but the sudden burst of orange light drew every alien’s attention – including the spear-holders’ – if only for a second. He pressed a button and a small, red image appeared next to his rifle. Incendiary ammo, Sev realized.
He noticed something odd about the readings on the quadrupeds. “The ones with horns have more biotic strength.”
The other two grunted, which Sev interpreted as acknowledgement.
The tall white quadruped tilted its head to the left and moved its mouth. Sev heard a lilting voice, constantly changing in pitch and volume. He recognized the dialect as a human language, but not a specific one.
His omni-tool beeped helpfully and established a translation. Apparently, the language was early 21st century English, an old human dialect. Odd. But convenient. At least we can communicate without dicking around with the language barrier.
“Greetings,” the creature said – the translator was not good at picking up emotions. “I am Princess Celestia. My people are known as ‘ponies’, and we hail from the country of Equestria. That is the country you are currently intruding upon. As the leader, I must ask you to…”
Sev had mentally tuned out at that point. He’d heard variations of this speech in the customs section of every starport he’d been through. Obey the law, political varren shit, intimidate with security, more self-serving varren shit. Really, it had become a bit of a routine.
Riana, meanwhile, let her brain run wild as adrenaline coursed through her. Ponies, a part of her thought, I doubt it. Appearances aside, these creatures likely had no relation to Equus ferus caballus.
The spear-holders seemed to hoist up their spears after their leader’s speech, although only slightly. Sev wasn’t worried about the spears – they were dark grey, suggesting basic iron or steel. There was no way it could penetrate his armor. He was worried about their biotic abilities, though. That large white pony, or Celestia as she had called herself, seemed to output the same amount of energy as an average cruiser. Even the tinier ponies each emitted as much biotic power as an L5 level biotic. And that’s without any biotic amp implants.
Levin saw the spear tips moving upwards, away from them, and in return lowered the barrel of his Avenger slightly. Riana followed his lead, whilst Sev kept his Striker trained on Celestia.
A standoff, Levin noted absently, his former military training kicking in. The worst kind of battle. No tactics, just fighting. Massive casualties on both sides. Can’t resolve if both know what they’re doing or if tech difference is negligible. This time we have the tech, but they have numbers and superior biotics. Ah, shit.
Well, I can always hope for the best. Still, I should prepare for the worst.
Riana clutched her pistol in her hands. She recognized that these beings were powerful biotics – must have come from evolving in such an eezo rich environment, a detached part of her mind reasoned – but the fact that they had not attempted to kill her yet didn’t make her feel any better.
Outnumbered 50 to 3. Two men with guns against a small army of biotics. There's no worse odds than this. Sev clenched his fists. There's no better rush than this.
Celestia was obviously awaiting a response, for she did not attempt to speak further.
Levin took charge of the exchange. He switched on the broadcast speakers on his suit. “We’re here as visitors on this planet.”
“If so, why did we find a dead manticore amidst burning trees? Is destruction of the environment common for visitors to new worlds?”
Sev rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. If she was angry, she could just have said it out. “That manticore aimed to kill. I killed it before it killed me.” His omni-tool translated it into English, managing to rip out every single feeling in the words.
The group of ponies all reacted – some jumped at the word ‘kill’, whilst others merely leaned their heads back. Sev chuckled as he watched them. To have such an impact with a word. How will they react when they see blood?
One of the ponies, a white one with a red plume on his helmet, recovered and spoke. “You will address the Princess with respect!”
Most of the other armored ponies – guards or soldiers, probably – wore golden helmets topped with a blue plume. So the color of the brush represents rank, Riana thought from the sideline. She was quite happy to be out of this exchange. The atmosphere had taken on a heavy feeling, and she did not want to be close by when either side came to blows.
Sev snorted in response and narrowed his eyes instinctively, forgetting that the ponies could not see the gesture under his helmet. He’d never had a liking towards bureaucracy or kowtowing out of procedure. Respect had to be earned; preferably in battle.
The red-plumed pony gasped at Sev’s snort and his eyes widened to almost comical proportions. But a moment later, he lowered his body and spread his legs into a battle stance – even footing on each hoof. The spears came back down to point at their chests, and Levin mentally swore, while raising his rifle in response. Back to the beginning.
Undeterred, Sev plodded forwards towards the white one. The red-plumed pony was directly beside her, so the move served to intimidate him as well. Judging by the rising hair in the back of his neck, it was working. Many of the other guards moved in to surround him, spears at the ready. He paused directly in front of Celestia, so close that there was only about 10 centimeters of space between them. He had to give her credit for standing her ground. Most aliens would have backed down. Then again, she could probably kill me with a warp attack. There’s that.
Celestia held her ground, although her instincts screamed at her to put some distance between herself and the alien. I will not be intimidated by force, she thought grimly. Whatever was going to happen, if it hurt her citizens she was going to stop it.
-&-
Given the chance for a closer look at alien life, Twilight Sparkle was not going to say no. The general had insisted on the 6 girls hanging behind the guards in case of an attack – she’d accepted once she’d gotten a promise that everypony would come back alive. The Princess had assured her.
At this range, Twilight could see three aliens at close range. The shortest one was still as tall as the Princess, but it had a slight frame. It walked on two legs, and it appeared to have no eyes. Instead, a semi-reflective piece of shell appeared to be its face. She could see through it, to see blue skin and a facial structure not unlike her own. The only difference was that the alien’s nose was stubbier than her snout, and it appeared that its eyes and mouth were on the same plane. Twilight could also sense that it was radiating magic – but it appeared that magic was coming from its entire body, like a pegasus or earth pony, rather than just a specific part. Even so, the level of magic was pitiful – she’d seen young fillies have stronger magic. It was holding a small, black object and shifting constantly.
The one in the middle was the giant that she’d seen earlier. It was also bipedal, but its build was massive. It seemed to have a hump on its back, similar to a camel. She examined its upper limbs as they moved; those limbs were each as thick as the Princess’s neck. Also, one of those limbs was holding a long, odd looking stick that seemed too straight to be natural – a spear, perhaps? Twilight concluded that this had to be the one that had killed the manticore – the other two didn’t look strong enough. She shuddered. Being unable to look at its face was also unsettling – or maybe that tetrahedral protrusion was its face? – and she switched her examination to the final alien.
The last one was in between the height of its companions. It was also tall and slight, although its hip area seemed to be abnormally wide compared to the stomach above it. It had protrusions that looked like spurs above its ankles, the feet ending in claw-like protrusions that reminded Twilight of talons. This one also had a semi-reflective shell on its facial area. Past that, she could see a face that was plated, with two beady black eyes sunken deep into its skull. It did not appear to have a nose. Perhaps its 'face' was a second helmet?
All of them were encased in a sort of exoskeleton, but unlike any insect or changeling exoskeleton, these were flat in some areas and curved in others. It appeared unnatural, but Twilight couldn’t be sure. She saw that the exoskeletons had markings in some places – cutie mark? Clan mark? – and resolved to devise a way of mutual communication. After all, alien landings are once-in-a-lifetime!
Surprisingly, at least two of the aliens had known their language. It spoke Equestrian perfectly, even though its voice was monotone and devoid of any emotion.
Then the massive one moved. Its steps made the earth shake slightly beneath her, and she realized that this alien must have been as heavy as the buffalo she’d met. It moved towards the Princess.
The guards panicked. They’d been trained, but they hadn’t faced an actual enemy like this in open combat.
The general yelled at his ponies to quiet them and protect the Princess. He’d assumed the alien was making an attempt on the Princess’s life.
The alien stopped in front of the Princess, and then slammed its fist into its own chest. The hollow sound reverberated off the trees, such was its volume. The guards grimaced but held fast. The girls all yelped in shock and jumped backwards.
The alien didn’t seem to move after that. Twilight took some deep breaths, and absently tried to discern the gesture. A form of greeting? An insult? Or a compliment?
Dash’s hiss surprised her, and she jumped yet again, to see two of the aliens moving towards her. A trick! The large one was a distraction!
Dash pushed Twilight back behind her, and then brought up her wings in an attempt to increase her apparent body size. Applejack pushed her way over to stand beside Dash. Behind Twilight, Fluttershy quailed. Rarity and Pinkie had moved close to Fluttershy to try and comfort her in their own ways; Rarity by cooing and Pinkie by – well, Twilight wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be working.
The two aliens loped closer. Twilight aimed and lit her horn, a signal that she was willing to defend herself and her friends. She couldn’t speak for fear of losing her concentration over her magic, but she hoped that the aliens would understand the gesture.
The two aliens moved closer, undaunted.
-&-
Spotting an opportunity, Levin motioned to Riana to follow him. He started to move around the cluster of ponies that had built up around Sev – only to be confronted by 6 others. These ones had hung back, and were not armored. Civilians.
A cyan pony was in front of the group, wings outstretched as if to shield them from Levin’s attacks. Beside it, an orange pony with a hat – the only one with decorative headgear here – had her head down and was pawing at the ground. Thinking of charging me, eh?. Behind them, a purple one stood, its horn glowing, wisps of power sparking off it into the air. Biotic attack. But it was the ponies even further behind that had the largest effect on Levin. A pink one, lacking horns or wings, and a white horned one crouched protectively over a winged, cream-yellow pony, which had its wide open eyes fixed on Levin’s helmet, seemingly staring right at him.
Those eyes. Filled with fear and terror.
He’d seen them before.