//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Rescue // Story: Secret Search // by computerneek //------------------------------// The fairly well-hidden side door into the throne room slams open with an echoing BOOM, admitting the lunar Princess.  She’s reached her seat next to Princess Celestia by the time the guards finish closing the door behind her.  “Sister!” She leans in to murmur into the solar Princess’ ear… and freezes, gazing down at the visitor. Or visitors.  Two identical blue unicorns, bearing purple mane and tail…  both of whose cutie marks behave much like that airship:  She can tell it’s there, but she can’t seem to find it. Princess Celestia turns slightly, offering Luna the scroll floating in her magic in quite the trancelike manner.  “Luna…” Luna allows her gaze to shift to the page.  It’s a spell scroll… Her jaw drops as she reads down it, and she looks up at Princess Celestia…  Princesses Celestia? There’s two of them, looking at each other. One of them dissolves into a cloud of light gold arcane mist, the other turning back to Luna.  “She…” Luna blinks.  “Ahh…” She’d seen the spell on the page.  She turns to look past the parchment, simultaneous with her sister.  “We will- Huh?” At the empty throne room, save for the guards. Shining Armor steps forwards, bowing.  “They disappeared, Princesses. Both of them, dissolved into golden arcane mist.  Darker color than, uh, that-”  He gestures towards the space next to Celestia’s throne, where her doppelganger had sat for ten seconds- “but the same effect.” The room holds its silence for a few seconds. Luna breaks it with the Royal Canterlot Voice, booming into every corner.  “Find the airship Secret!  Zone three, slots thirteen through fifteen!  Bring the Captain, as our guest!” The guards nod identically, and one dashes out of the room to deliver the orders to the many more guards waiting elsewhere. Celestia turns to look at her sister, an eyebrow raised.  “Airship?” she asks. “My-  Ahem, my people found something.”  She offers the clipboard, from where it had been captured under her wing.  “This is only the end of the story.” Celestia reads the note, her eyes growing steadily wider, and scans the manifest, before lowering the clipboard calmly and directing her gaze towards Shining Armor. “Code Midnight,” she states. With a nod, almost every single guard leaves the room.  Shining Armor is one of only two that remain.  Once the doors are locked, the windows darken somewhat significantly, indicative of the powerful anti-scrying spells sliding up over them.  Nopony would see what happened here, save those cleared for this specific security level. Almost thirty seconds later, a hidden door slides open momentarily to admit a dark grey thestral, the Director of the RIA.  He trots to the center of the throne room, bowing briefly. “You called, Princess?” Luna nods.  “Tell my sister what you told me earlier.” “Thirty-seven minutes?  Seriously?” “Uh, yes sir.  Blueberry Truffle signed it out thirty-seven minutes after signing it in.  I don’t know what she did in that short of a time, but that’s not my job, sir.” “Please tell me it hasn’t escaped just yet.” “Uh, they’ll finish guiding it out of our traffic zone any time now.  Pegasi are faster than even the fastest airships, though- and a ship of that size shouldn’t be able to leave normal pegasus flight range- say nothing of Guard ranges- for hours.” The guard facehooves.  “You didn’t happen to notice anything funny about the ship, did you?” The zone control officer raises an eyebrow.  “You mean, how I couldn’t seem to find it unless I followed the lines on the decking?” “Yes.” “Then yes, I noticed that.  Our controllers said it was easy to spot on the way in- and out, too.  Like Truffle could turn it on and off.” “Soo…” Princess Celestia sighs upon hearing the report.  “Send word to all Guard posts. If the airship Secret lands anywhere, I am to be notified immediately- but never are any crew or passengers to be made aware!” >What does that mean She strikes enter, expecting the same ‘Invalid Command’ message it’s always produced.  After all, one could humor a machine, right? Not like it cares. …  Though, the response she gets back is very different.  She tries punching in more questions. Power levels are running low.  As a direct result, Damage Control is running at reduced capacity. >What is damage control Damage Control is this Unit’s main self-repair system. >Who are you Unit XXXVII/G-0013(e) EVE of the Line, Backup Operating Systems, Awaiting Orders. >What does that mean Indeterminate >What does that mean Indeterminate She scowls at it.  She wasn’t exactly looking for a boring answer like that. >Who gives you orders You, Commander. >What can you do Minor medical operations (WARNING:  Medical database not found), repair and construction operations (WARNING:  Damage Control operating at artificially reduced capacity), processing tasks. >What processing tasks Any processing tasks. She spends a few seconds thinking. >Can you draw Printing is performed through manufacturing facilities, all offline. Drawing, with provided utensil and surface, can be performed, with an acceptable degree of accuracy, with the Manipulation Arms on a Tech Spider from Damage Control.  None have been assembled. Would you like to prioritize these repairs? >Not yet Understood. >Can you show me stuff Visual media can be displayed on this screen directly. >Can I show you stuff Audiovisual pickups on Command 2 are online. >Is that a yes or a no That is a yes. >Can you talk This Backup Operating System is not equipped for vocal synthesis. Well, it’s not like that was unexpected news.  After all, it hadn’t talked…  Though exactly what ‘vocal synthesis’ means, she doesn’t know. >Can you hear me Affirmative, though the lingual database is not found. >Are you smart Indeterminate >Can you come with me Motive systems offline.  Would you like to prioritize these repairs? >No Understood. She rushes upstairs and returns with a book…  the one she got her kitchen from. >Can you read Indeterminate She shows the screen the book for a couple seconds, before she hits the keyboard again. >Can you see this Is this what you are referring to? Much of the screen clears of text, replaced by images.  One of the book, rather amazingly accurate, takes up one corner; all the other images, she realizes, are updating…  Like windows, or a Unicorn-powered moving hologram. Or that new ‘video’ thing they’re testing out, flicking from picture to picture as fast as they can. Though they’re different…  They’re all ‘black and white’, except for a spot in the middle of each one…  The book, holding full color even as it moves, across the grayscale background.  Now that is cool. …  She wonders what this thing could do on her ship. “In here!” The panicked unicorn dodges into the alleyway the call had come from, running almost headlong into the blue-maned purple unicorn already occupying it.  “What? Uh…” She glances back out. “They’ll!” The unicorn stops her with a hoof.  “They won’t. I’ve covered this entire alleyway with a perception filter they’ll never see through.” “Huh?  Then…” She looks back out briefly.  “Then how am I gonna get away from that?” “What’s happening?” “I…  I think my Agents are conspiring against me.” She raises an eyebrow.  “You’re RIA?” “How-?  Uh… I guess I made it kinda obvious, didn’t I?” “Contact Corps?” She scowls.  “I wasn’t that obvious, was I?” “It was a guess- I’ve met one before.  So, what happened?” “I…  You’ve met one…?” “Found her in my house, yes.” “Ahh…  Um, can you swear to secrecy?” Nod.  “Cross my hea…  What?” She shakes her head.  “Don’t. Pinkie Promises can be traced.” “Oh?” Nod.  “Only for a few hours, but they can be.” “Ahh…  That could be a problem, yes.” “Well…  I found them grouped together in one of their homes today…  discussing what sounded like plans for terrorism.” She shudders, touching her saddlebag.  “I’ve got proof, but I can’t show you. Anyways, they realized I was there… I’m lucky I mastered teleportation yesterday, or they would have killed me.  They sent the Guards after me… and what looks like a gang of terrorists… all working together.” Slow nod.  “So, is it terrorism, or secessionism?” Blink.  “Uhh… Good question.” “So, where’ ya headed?  Canterlot?” She shakes her head.  “I wish. Command will never take anything not signed by a field agent, but I don’t know any others…  so I guess I’m just hiding. Agents are impossible to spot on the street, and Command won’t let me transfer without…  their permission.”  She motions towards the street she’d come from. “I take it you don’t know any, uh, ‘good’ agents?” Another shake.  “Every one of ‘em got caught up in that.” “Ahh…  Then if we head to Ponyville, I know an agent that might be able to help.” “Huh?” “I met a Contact Corps mare in my house, remember?  What do you suppose she was doing there?” “Oh.  Um… they’ve probably clamped down on the train already…  um…” “We can use my ship, then.” “Your ship?  Those things are easy to shoot down!” She shakes her head.  “Not this one- nopony can find the Secret, even when it’s in front of their faces.” She raises her eyebrows.  “I have difficulty believing that.” Smirk.  “It’s true.  She’s docked right now, bay three.” The trip to the biggest airship she’d ever seen- or, is it never seen?- goes fairly quickly.  They’d been spotted a couple times, but each time, her new purple companion had come up with some fancy new trick to turn them away.  Admittedly, it had been rather amusing to watch them try to deal with hundreds of identical pairs of ponies running in every direction at once.  Or for them to attack what could only be holograms… The house she’d built on the docking platform took the cake, though.  They were into the enormous ship she couldn’t see until they were boarding it long before anypony managed to circumvent that blockage. Finally, they stop galloping, standing behind the closing door.  She’s out of breath- though her purple companion is not, like she does it every day.  She takes a few deep breaths. “So, uh…” She looks around the empty room. “No crew…?” “Uh, not exactly.  She’s got a crew of one- and yes, I left the door open.  It’s pretty difficult to steal a ship you can’t find, after all.” “Well…   That’s true, I suppose.” “Anyways, I’ve got enough supplies aboard to float us for a week or two.  We launching, or…?” She shakes her head.  “I’ve got nothing in this town.  Take me away.” “Uh, sir?  Another Contact Agent has gone MIA.” “Oh?  Which one this time?” “Purple Acorn, sir.” “Purple Acorn…  Ah. Wasn’t she one of the good ones?” “Yes sir.  One of the best we have, actually.  I woulda promoted her long ago if not for the constantly scathing Agent Reports she gets.” Scowl.  “Scathing Agent Reports?” “Yes…  Like I said, she’s one of the best there is, so she’s quite memorable.  Last week, when I was reading her latest Agent Report two weeks late, I thought I noticed something different from the last set- and pulled them out. “As a matter of fact, I ended up pulling every one of her Agent Reports, to compare.  Not only does the behavior described in them conflict strongly with the Purple Acorn I know, but it’s inconsistent.  They’d complain about some new infraction every time- but a couple of them conflicted. “So my plan for yesterday was to read her next Agent Report as soon as it came in, compare it with the rest…  and if it follows the pattern, start an inquiry into the Agents themselves. “But now she’s gone missing.  I’m worried that sending another Contact Agent to her Agents could be unsafe- the first warning we get of rebellious agents is their Contact Agents going MIA…  and the second, bodies.” He shakes his head. “None of our other Contact Agents are near as good as she. If she failed to sniff out- and report- trouble, nopony else will, whether its there or not.” The thestral behind the desk lowers his head, gazing sternly at his closed desk drawer for several seconds.  He’d love to send the Royal Guard out to find her, but she’s too good for them to catch. He’d also love to send a pack of Agents out to find her, but that would probably fall under the heading of ‘Conflict of Interest’...  which is one thing he simply could not do. Not if he wanted to see his missing daughter again. “Let me know when she turns up,” he states, and looks up to his subordinate. “I will, sir,” the pegasus, Captain of the RIA Contact Corps, bows before he leaves the room.